


Allowance

by eggs_and_toast



Series: Allowance 'Verse [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: ALL OF THE FRIENDSHIP, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Dance, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Ballroom Dancing, F/M, Friendship, Kinda, Slow Build, Teacher Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), levihan - Freeform, sort of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-04
Updated: 2014-10-04
Packaged: 2018-01-21 20:57:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 62,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1563791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eggs_and_toast/pseuds/eggs_and_toast
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hanji sees a tango performance and becomes smitten with a short, mean-looking dance instructor.</p><p>Allowance: An engineering term for the space between two parts that connect together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Firstly, a link to the [somewhat now infamous](http://youtu.be/-6-6kN79oIA) source of inspiration for this fic. Feel free to use it as a supplement to the dancing scene that appears in this chapter. "Vltana" is a good listen as well.
> 
> Secondly, a disclaimer. Prior to this, the only knowledge of ballroom dancing I had was whatever I retained from watching Take the Lead. I did some research before chapter one and I'll do some more as I keep going, but if I EVER post something inaccurate, please correct me, or if it's something wildly off the mark that can't be fixed without taking out the story, then just forgive me and I promise I'll have learned my lesson. Also, I don't know anything about engineering either. Oops.
> 
> Thirdly, Hanji and Nanaba are both female in this fic.
> 
> edit: Rating changed to Teen for mentions of violent actions in later chapters.

It was a bright, sunny Friday afternoon. The weather still felt like summer despite it being late September, and the downtown part of the city was bustling with people in a good atmosphere. 

Hanji, however, wanted nothing more than to be back in her dorm room with all her books and not a person in sight.

“You look like I forced you out here,” Nanaba pouted, her voice sounding hurt.

Hanji didn’t believe it. “You did,” she grumbled, hand pushing up her glasses so she could rub the dark rings under her eyes. “You stole my coffee stash and used it as a hostage.”

“I bought you a coffee earlier!” Nanaba gestured to the empty cup in Hanji's hand.

“Yeah, and it tasted like watered-down dishwater.” Hanji paused their leisurely walking pace to toss the cup in a trash can.

“That’s because you drink the equivalent of diesel fuel.” Nanaba's tone was dry, but the quip was an often-heard line with no bite to it, and Hanji merely nudged her with an elbow in response.

“One more block,” Hanji sighed. “Then we go back, ok? I still have a paper due tomorrow.”

“Deal!”

Hanji and Nanaba have been dorm roommates since freshman year of university. Both stood around a reasonable 5’7” and had fairly androgynous builds, but Hanji always thought that Nanaba wore it better and felt like a walking plank with two bumps on her chest. Nanaba had slight curves in all the right places and straight shoulders in perfect posture.

Hanji had a mop of brown hair pulled back in a messy ponytail. Her nose was kind of big, her eyes a boring brown, and her poor sleeping habits resulted in the aforementioned eye bags. Nanaba in contrast had clear skin, a tidy, short crop of blond hair, and pretty hazel eyes. She never wore makeup because she didn’t really need any, while Hanji was just too lazy to put in the effort. Textbooks were Hanji's only late-night dates these days, anyway.

“Hm? What’s this?” Nanaba stopped walking, making Hanji bump into her.

Light-hearted classical music was playing, and a handful of people were standing in front of one of the many businesses lining the city street, as if they were waiting for something to begin. As they approached it, Hanji saw a man standing next to a sandwich board and a small speaker on top of a stool. He was short, had black hair, and pale skin.

 _‘Looks like he gets out as much as I do,’_  Hanji mused, for the man wore a black tank top. Unlike her own bare arms, however, his were lean and muscular, even if a little lacking in color.

The man caught sight of someone he must have been waiting for and pressed a button to change the song on the music device before stretching a hand out. A well-dressed young man quickly strode forward to take it, and just as Hanji processed the newcomer’s appearance — messy brown hair, white dress shirt, black pants, and green tie — the shorter  man was suddenly whirled into a spin and then lifted into the air.

“Ballroom dancing?” Nanaba muttered to Hanji, surprised.

Hanji shrugged, attention held by the dancers. The music was intense, something about a woman named Roxanne, but she barely heard the lyrics. Her eyes were fixated on the short  man as he twirled his legs, which were clad in white, out and around his partner.

 _‘He’s dancing the woman's side of the dance,’_  she realized, though the technical aspects of the dance were lost on her. She barely breathed as he was lifted into the air again, and a small sigh passed her lips as his back arched his stomach into the air. When his partner eased him back down, his shirt rode up in the back, and Hanji made a small choking sound.

_‘Oh...my...gosh.’_

As the two dancers twirled around again, Hanji followed the black-haired man’s every move. His hair was actually cut shorter on the bottom, she noticed, and that while his face was small and generally attractive, it was set in what looked like a permanent scowl.

 _‘But it’s not a scowl, or rather, he’s not angry, it’s just intense concentration,’_  she thought, watching him flip over his partner’s arm and drop to  his knee. He arched his back again and she followed the line of his neck just before he was snapped forward.

The dancers flung their legs about in a complicated sequence. The exertions and the sun were starting to make them sweat; even from her spot, Hanji could see the flush of the shorter man’s shoulders and cheeks. Suddenly, he was flipped upside down, face tilted towards the ground and feet pointed at the sky. His partner spun him back up, and then heaved him back into a lift. Hanji was entranced by the man’s degree of trust that allowed the other man to handle him in such way.

The best was yet to come. As the music slowed in order to begin a tense build-up, the shorter man was lifted from behind to allow his legs to wrap around his partner’s hips. His back arched forward and his partner’s hand had unintentionally lifted the bottom of the tank top. Hanji glimpsed a thin trail of hair before the pair spun around, and she was again caught by the man’s neck as  he tilted his head back against the other man’s shoulder.

_‘Ohhhh..my...GOSH.’_

The music reached the top of it’s build-up and the man was let down and spun around. Just before the music came crashing down into the finale, the dancer made eye contact with Hanji, and she jerked in surprise. The thin line of his mouth twitched into a smirk, and then he was snatched away into an outrageous spinning maneuver over his partner’s backside and back towards the ground. After another twirl and sequence of leg movements, the dance ended with the shorter man being dipped into a nearly full split with his back arching forward again.

Hanji was too stunned to join in with the crowd’s cheering and clapping. She felt way too  hot despite simply standing there, and she heard Nanaba’s voice as if from a distance.

“That was amazing,” Hanji muttered as Nanaba steered her away from the stirring crowd. She still felt the sharp jolt from making eye contact with the dancer, and was doing her best to ingrain every detail of his face into her memory for later studying.

In a flash of hindsight, she craned her neck around to look over her shoulder. The dancers were picking up the stool and board, and Hanji had just enough time to read “Red Shoes Dance Academy” before they entered the building they had danced in front of.

Hanji’s mind raced the entire way back to the university dorms, and she recognized the familiar energy welling up within her. It was the same energy she felt when faced with a machine she hadn’t seen before and was being allowed to take it apart to find out how it worked, and then put it back together again. She couldn’t help but break out into a wide grin.

“Nanaba,” she said, turning to her friend, who had been watching her with a bemused expression. “I’m gonna need my hostages back!”

\--------------------

Levi finished setting the speaker up on the stool, and pressed play on the music device. An easy-going classical tune started playing — Bedrich Smetana’s “Vltana (The Moldau)” — and then he leaned against the wall of the dance studio to wait. Occasionally, a person would stop and ask if an event was going on.

“I’m about to give one of my students an impromptu test,” he said. “He’s got no idea, of course.”

This was met with some amusement and several people stuck around to watch. The number of people didn’t matter to Levi; it was enough to make his student perform on the spot on a public sidewalk.

 _‘The brat’s got his first competition coming up,’_  Levi thought.  _‘Let’s see how his nerves are holding up.’_

His sharp eyes, trained to catch the smallest of movements, saw a young man approaching the studio. He bent down to tap a button on the music device to start a song from a popular movie called “El Tango de Roxanne”, and then held out his hand.

Without a word, his student quickened his pace, took Levi’s hand, and whirled the shorter man into the tango routine he had been practicing for the last few months. Eren Jaeger was Levi’s best student, though Levi would only tell a select few that information. As Eren lifted Levi into the air, Levi shot the growing audience a quick glance. They were enamoured by Eren’s charms already, and they had only just begun the routine.

 _‘If they only knew him,’_  Levi thought, barely holding back a snort.

There was something else, though. He was beginning to feel a prickle on the back of his neck, and the sensation grew as Eren guided him further into the routine. Eren himself wasn’t fazed at all by the surprise performance; he kept silent, but when he wasn’t tossing winks or sly smiles at the crowd, he laughed at Levi with his eyes, knowing his instructor had tried to throw him off guard.

Levi snuck some more glances at the audience when he could, to pinpoint the source of the feeling. As expected, the crowd was focused on Eren instead of him. Levi wanted it that way; it was why he told Eren to dress up while he remained in his practice clothes. He also didn’t put in any extra effort into his showmanship.

 _‘My competition days are over,’_  he thought, preparing for a flipping maneuver.  _‘Let Eren take the spotlight. I don’t need it anymore.’_

He was flipped upside down, head towards the ground and feet in the air while Eren held him securely in place. As the scenery rushed by, Levi briefly locked onto the source of the prickle on  his neck.

It was a woman, probably closer to his age than to Eren’s. She looked a little sloppy; her hair was a mess and she wore loose jeans over a plain T-shirt. That wasn’t what got his attention though, and as Eren pulled him back up, he saw it again.

It was the look on her face. She was staring not at Eren, but at  _him_ , and it was intense enough for him to feel it as he pressed towards Eren for a close sequence of steps. As he leaned back with a leg straight up in the air with Eren’s hand being the only tether to keep him from falling, he saw the woman follow the line of his body out of the corner of his eye.

 _‘She looks like she wants to devour me,’_  Levi thought, straightening back into Eren’s waiting arms. The thought lit a spark inside, something he hadn’t felt in years.  _‘It’s been a long time since I’ve been the prey.’_

The music slowed at this point to being a tense build-up. Eren helped Levi host himself up onto his dance partner’s hips, with Levi facing the audience. He felt his shirt ride up; he’d have to tell Eren to watch his hand placement next time. The move itself was something that Levi knew was considered more attractive when performed by a woman in a slinky dress, but when Eren spun him slowly, he could just barely make out the hunger on the woman’s face.

When he was set down and drawn back into Eren’s arms, Levi deliberately looked the woman straight in the eye, issuing a challenge. Apparently she was unaware of her own gaze, for she jerked in surprise at the sudden eye contact. He couldn’t help the smirk that twitched onto his face.

 _‘Watch me,’_  he thought, and he then let Eren work him through the crashing finale of the routine. He was flipped up around the boy’s back and rolled down his shoulders into dropped knee position on the ground, and then swung around on his toes.

As the song ended on the final note, Eren dipped him into a nearly full split, something not a part of the original routine that nearly made Levi spit out a choice swear word. As a last minute thought, however, he arched backwards a little further than was really needed, teasing the woman, who he knew was still watching, with the line of his body.

The crowd cheered and applauded as Levi and Eren straightened to take their bows. Levi immediately began disconnecting the music speaker, turning his back on any curious people who approached him. In his peripheral vision, he could see the brown-haired woman get tugged away by her blond friend. Levi almost felt disappointed, until he saw some grass stains on the butt of her jeans.

Cringing, he picked up the stool and speaker. He gave Eren, who was talking to a group of blushing girls, a not-so-gentle nudge with his foot.

“Ow! Uh, excuse me…” Eren bashfully left the girls to pick up the sandwich board and follow Levi into the dance studio.

The moment they were within the door, Levi placed the stool down and then popped his pupil in the back of the head.

“Cheeky brat, what do you think you’re doing, dipping me like that!” Levi growled. “Think you’re Erwin Smith now that some girls are throwing their panties at you?”

Eren flushed and sputtered. He looked like he was twenty-something, but he was actually still just a senior in high school. Levi doubted that the kid had ever seen a pair of panties that didn’t belong to his mother.

“I wanted to get back at you for throwing me into that performance without warning,” Eren finally mumbled, contrite for his actions. At least he recognized he was in the wrong.

“Mm. Don’t do that to your partner without warning,” Levi said, picking the stool up again. “You could hurt her, and Annie would break your leg if you did pulled that crap on her.”

Eren looked shocked. “That’s all?”

“That’s all, what?” Levi wanted to pop him again, but with the stool this time.

“Er, nothing, just thought you’d be, uh, madder?”

Levi didn’t say anything for a moment; instead, he remembered the way a pair of eyes stayed fixated on him during the entire dance.

“No. It wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle,” he said at last. He started walking away, but Eren stopped him again.

“Wait!” Eren’s face scrunched up in embarrassment, and his next question came out in a rush. “Did anyone ever, uh, throw their panties at you? Sir?”

His eyes were filled with hero worship, something Levi saw often and was constantly unnerved by. He smirked at his student, an answer without words, and then walked away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the way, a big thanks to [my bestie](http://lenoir-whittlethorn.tumblr.com) for being my editor. If you want more Levihan action between updates, check out her [Empty Boots](http://lenoir-whittlethorn.tumblr.com/post/62781739109/ive-decided-to-write-a-war-vet-au-or-as-my) fic, a modern AU where the cast are war veterans with missing limbs, PTSD, alive!Marco, and aforementioned Levihan.
> 
> Also, I have a [Tumblr.](http://glitchikinnsblog.tumblr.com) I guess if anyone wants to doing anything, you can use the tag fic: allowance.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hanji tries to take a tango class. Levi wants a new car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rating has changed because I forgot there's going to be mentions of past violence in future chapters. Character tags have been added but even more will show up in the future so more tags as they come.

Having been gifted with nearly photographic memory and acute observation skills, the dark-haired dancer was still as fresh in Hanji’s mind as if he was standing in front of her, even though it was now Sunday afternoon. She had been replaying the performance in her head ever since she arrived back at the dorm, and it took her longer to finish her essay because of it. She didn’t mind one bit, though, for she was in the best mood she had ever been in for a long time.

“Wow, you’re actually sitting here, having lunch with me,” Nanaba’s voice was filled with genuine surprise.

“You’re really good at passive aggressive guilt trips, you know,” Hanji said around a mouthful of sandwich.

“You usually eat at your desk in our room or in one of the labs on a Sunday,” Nanaba replied. Today, they sat together in the university’s food court and it was even Hanji’s idea.

“I wanted to talk about that dancer from Friday!” Hanji said. A grin broke out on her face, something that was occurring regularly when she thought about a certain pair of narrow eyes.

“When we were downtown? Yeah, he was cute, huh?” Nanaba laughed, and sipped from her tea. “Did you see his eyes? They were the same color as his tie! I don’t think I’ve ever seen such bright green eyes.”

Hanji blinked. “Tie? Oh, I was talking about the other one.”

Nanaba had to think for a moment. “The short one? I think I heard someone say he’s a dance instructor. He was giving his student a surprise test.”

“Instructor? So he teaches at that academy?” Hanji rose out of her seat in her excitement. “So I could just waltz right on in — haha, ‘waltz’ — and get lessons from him?”

“Lessons?” Nanaba stared at her. “What do you need ballroom lessons for?”

Hanji sat down in her seat, and then said, “To learn how to make a man dance like that with me.”

Nanaba’s eyebrows shot up and she remained quiet for a bit to process the information.

“Wait, make a man dance like which one? The teacher or student?” she finally asked, confused.

“The short one!” Hanji bit down on her rising frustration. “I want to make a guy look like he did when dancing!”

“You mean you want to dance with a guy in the female role while you play the male role?”

“Not exactly,” Hanji sighed, wishing she hadn’t said anything. She really wasn’t good at conveying herself in spoken words. “You didn’t see the way he looked? It was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen!”

“I was paying more attention to his student,” Nanaba replied. She paused to sip her tea again, then said, “So you’re telling me you’re interested in the instructor, and that’s why you want to take lessons?”

“Yes,” Hanji groaned, and shoved the last of her sandwich into her mouth, though at this point she had lost her appetite.

“Hanji, I’m sorry,” Nanaba said quietly, her husky voice lower than usual. She had finally caught on to Hanji’s frustration. “I was beginning to think you weren’t interested in romance. I’ve never heard you mention anything like this in all the years we’ve known each other.”

_‘There’s the guilt again,’_ Hanji thought, swallowing the sandwich. _‘She’s too good at that.’_ But she knew the apology was genuine; Nanaba didn’t have it in her to hurt her friends with deliberate intent.

“I don’t have a very good track record with romance,” Hanji admitted, sighing. “Machines have always found me more attractive than men do.”

Nanaba frowned at her.

“Sorry,” Hanji grinned at her. “I know, I know, body positivity and all that. It’s my own fault anyway, I should stop sleeping in the engineering labs. They don’t exactly make one look like a Cosmo model.”

“You should ease up on the labs, period,” Nanaba said, shaking her head. “You’re overworking yourself with these twenty-four credit semesters.”

“Mm,” Hanji mumbled, briefly distracted. The word “body” had pale skin flashing through her mind again. _‘Yeah, body positivity.’_ Then she frowned. “Wait, you didn’t think the instructor was hot?”

“I guess? I’m not really into muscles. I don’t think ballroom dancing is my thing, but it could be nice if my partner was like his student, I suppose,” Nanaba answered thoughtfully. “He was cute and had a lot of charm. The instructor didn’t at all, he had a mean look on his face the whole dance.”

Hanji laughed. “That wasn’t mean, that was confidence and intense focus. I wonder if I look like that when I’m in the zone.”

“No, you tend to make weird faces and stick your tongue out,” Nanaba chuckled. She leaned forward to rest her chin on her hand, and give Hanji a fond look. “You’ve got a crush on him, don’t you?”

“Yes,” Hanji answered, without hesitation. _‘I was gone the moment he challenged me with those eyes of his.’_

Nanaba wasn’t surprised by the quick answer. She knew Hanji too well. Instead, she said, “Well, there’s no stopping you once you decide you’re going to do something. Don’t break someone’s foot when you step on their toes, ok?”

\----------------

On Tuesday at 7pm, Hanji was en route to Red Shoes Dance Academy. When she finally had the time to look it up online, she had found that not only was there a tango class that started that evening, but it was also an affordable $45 for four once-a-week group lessons. She had signed up for it right then and there.

_‘Does it really only take that much?’_ Hanji thought, used to three hour sessions for a twice a week class. The tango lessons were only 45 minutes long. _‘Well, I’m just glad they’re at night. It’ll cut into my homework time and I’ll be eating ramen next week, but this will work!’_

She had spent the weekend catching up on sleep and getting ahead in her studies so she could miss one evening of homework time. She really should have showered first, but she didn’t do any lab work today and she showered yesterday, so she deemed herself suitable for public appearance. As the city bus carried her closer to the studio, she replayed the dance — which she now knew was a tango thanks to a little digging online — for the umpteenth time.

_‘It’s not his muscles,’_ Hanji thought, thinking about Nanaba’s comment. _‘I see enough macho men. It’s how he moves, I guess?’_

She paused her internal video player during a part when the dancer arched his back, head thrust back and belly towards the sky. The line from his waist over his chest and down his throat made her squirm in her seat and giggle.

_‘It’s not that he was dancing a woman’s part, either,’_ she decided, tapping her fingers to the music in the “video” after she resumed play. _‘He didn’t really move like one. Less swishy hips, more rolling of those shoulders.’_

And his face. It was obvious, though apparently only to Hanji given Nanaba’s response, that the man knew _exactly_ what he was doing. He was a professional, a master. And he knew it.

_‘He didn’t play it up, though,’_ she mused, seeing the bus stop coming up. _‘There wasn’t a hint of cockiness, like he was deliberately shunning the spotlight. He turned his back to us too, after the dance ended.’_

She dashed down the aisle of the bus before it came to a complete stop and nearly crashed into the dashboard after tripping over someone’s bag. Snickers fell on deaf ears as she hopped off the bus and nearly skipped to the academy.

_‘What an interesting person!’_ she thought. _‘Why is he like that? What makes him dance? What makes him tick?’_ She opened the door, and stepped inside. _‘And can I make him look like that...for me?’_

The lobby of the studio was tidy and primly decorated. There was a couple of comfortable chairs and a coffee table with magazines to one side, and a receptionist on the other. A couple of framed documents — Hanji guessed awards, or certificates — that hung on a wall on either side of a framed portrait. It was of a handsome man with blond hair, blue eyes, and a movie star smile. A little plaque said he was Erwin Smith, but the name meant nothing to her.

“Good evening!” The receptionist, a small woman with chin-length black hair, greeted her with a smile. “Can I help you?”

“I’m here for a class,” Hanji said, standing in front of the desk. “I registered online and it said to come early if it was my first time here, to fill out paperwork.”

“Oh, yes.” The woman — her name tag read “Nifa” — typed something into her computer. “Your name, please?”

“Hanji.”

“Ok! This is just a brief questionnaire, and then an insurance form.” Nifa handed her a pen and the papers attached to a clip board. “You’re really early though, Levi isn’t even here yet!”

Hanji’s face twitched in her efforts to not grin like a weirdo as she hunched over her paperwork. _‘Levi. Is that his name? Jeez, I’m so excited!’_

She handed her paperwork back to Nifa and went to sit back down, but couldn’t contain her nervous energy and studied the portrait of Erwin Smith intently instead.

“Excuse me, may I ask a question?” Nifa asked, voice hesitant.

“Sure!” Hanji chirped.

“It says you don’t have any ballroom experience. Is this true?”

“Yep, none and all!”

“Ah.” Nifa looked sheepish and then said, “Are you sure you meant to sign up for tango tonight?It’s level one, but tango is really difficult for beginners.”

“Is it?” Hanji blinked in surprise. She admitted that she had only looked up the music from the performance and found it was from a movie, and that the type of dance in it was a tango. She had then looked up the academy to find a class. Had she not of been on a break during class, she would have researched tango itself, but it took long enough to find the song.

“Evening, Nifa.”

A low voice interrupted the two women, and Hanji’s head whipped around to see itsowner. Sure enough, it was the dance instructor from Friday. He walked into the lobby from a hallway and stopped about a foot away from Hanji. Tonight he wore another black tank top and black pants.

Hanji had told Nanaba that his face wasn’t mean, just confident. Now, however, it was annoyed and..was that a hint of disgust?

“Good evening, Levi!” Nifa seemed relieved. “This is Hanji. She’s here for tonight’s tango class, but…”

She trailed off, but Levi continued for her.

“But she wouldn’t know a tango from a waltz even if it kicked her in the knee,” he growled.

Hanji wasn’t sure if she should feel indignant or amused. “I’m a quick learner!” she offered anyway.

“You stink and you’re wearing sneakers,” he countered, glaring at her.

“What’s going on?” Another woman entered the lobby. She was just as tall as Hanji, but far prettier, with curly, long brown hair and a nose that actually looked like it belonged on her face. “Levi, I told you to stop bullying newcomers.”

“She’s trying to take my class with zero experience,” Levi scoffed, crossing his arms.

“It was an honest mistake though, right?” The woman looked at Hanji, who nodded enthusiastically. “Then just switch her to the basics course! They cost the same, anyway. 

Nifa tapped a few keys and said, “Our Level One Basics class is a four week, once a week program on Thursdays, same time as the tango. Is that ok?”

“Yes!” Hanji chimed, noticing in the corner of her eye that Levi had disappeared down the hall.

“I’ll see you Thursday, then!” The other woman offered her hand. “I’m Lynne. I teach the basics course, as well as jive, foxtrot, and swing. You’ve already met Levi.”

Hanji shook her hand as Levi returned with a heavy book in  his hand. He thrust it into her chest rather forcefully, and she scrambled not to drop it.

“And don’t come in sneakers,” he said. “Wear shoes that don’t have rubber soles. And for all our sakes, _bathe_.” He hissed that last line, spun on his heel in a manner Hanji could only call graceful, and then left back down the hallway.

“There’s a reason why we don’t let him teach beginners,” Lynne said, grinning at Hanji.

“He doesn’t scare me,” Hanji smirked. She bid Lynne and Nifa farewell, and left the studio, humming to herself all the way to the bus stop.

_‘The complete opposite, in fact.’_

\----------------

On Tuesday at 7pm, Levi was attempting to be en route to the dance academy. His car’s steering wheel caught the brunt of his heated swearing as he once again tried to start his car. As if it was finally intimidated by his threats and cussing, the engine finally turned over and kept running.

_‘Finally’_ , he sighed, pulling out of the parking lot that sat outside his apartment complex. _‘I thought I was being frugal by buying this trash can on wheels, but I should’ve just listened to that airheaded salesman and gotten the newer model.’_

The academy was only a five minute drive from his apartment. If it wasn’t for the stretch of a questionable neighborhood between downtown and his apartment, he would simply walk, but nearly all of his classes were at night. Taking the bus was also out of the question. Just thinking about the germ-filled seats made Levi’s skin crawl.

After a short journey that had more than a dash of road rage, Levi swung his car into the parking lot behind the strip of businesses that the academy was a part of. He locked his car door, tugged the handle to make sure it was locked, and then kicked the tire of the car when he passed it. As he entered the academy’s back door, he nearly hit the janitor with his duffel bag.

“Whoa! Levi! You’re, uh, early!” The man stammered, nearly dropping his phone in his haste to make way for Levi in the cramped room.

“You didn’t clean the men’s bathroom yesterday,” Levi growled. “I had to do it.”

The man gulped. Auruo was only twenty but he already looked a decade older. The fear that Levi tended to regularly strike into his heart probably didn’t help.

“I’m sorry, I’ll make sure not to forget again, sir!” Auruo gave him a salute that Levi wished was done only in jest, but the determination in Auruo’s eyes said he meant it.

Levi grunted, ignoring the gesture and passing the janitor to leave the back room and enter the academy’s hallway that split the building in half. Bathrooms, a closet, and two offices were on one side, and two dance studios with mirrored walls were on the other. The back room was mostly used as a coat room and Auruo’s station. It was intended to act as a break room for academy staff as evident by a loveseat, microwave, and an old-school mini TV, but the room was just too small.

Levi entered one of the offices and dropped his bag on the floor by his desk. There were three regular instructors at Red Shoes, and therefore three desks sat in the room. A computer graced each one, as well as evidence that told of each instructor’s personality. Levi’s was spotless; there was a mug of pens and a tray of papers, but nothing else sat on top of it. Lynne’s had some paperwork spread across it, but it was organized and clear that she had been working on something. Mike, however, did not have a desk. It was a landfill, littered with empty coffee cups and paper.

Disgusted by the sight, Levi changed his mind about sitting down and walked out of the office. _‘I’ll ask Nifa when his next class is,’_ he thought, sour mood deepening. _‘That crap’s gotta go, looks bad whenever we have meetings with students, and we need those students’ money. Poo-Pourri ain’t cheap.’_

Levi slowed his pace when he heard voices in the academy lobby. One belonged to Nifa, the receptionist, but the other one was unfamiliar. It was only 7:20, too early for his students to start arriving.

“Are you sure you meant to sign up for tango tonight?” That was Nifa. “It’s level one, but tango is really difficult for beginners.”

As Levi drew closer, he saw the target of Nifa’s words come into his line of sight. It was the woman from Friday, the one who had stared at him.

_‘What do you know,’_ he thought, smirking before reverting back to his default frown. _‘I had wondered if she would show up.’_

“Evening, Nifa,” he said, announcing his presence.

“Good evening, Levi!” Nifa, the only person at the academy that Levi could say he liked without any insults to go with it, looked relieved at his arrival.

The other woman was looking at him, but it wasn’t the same intense stare he experienced last week. This one held barely contained joy and excitement, and if it wasn’t for the glasses and brown eyes, Levi would have thought that it was Eren standing in front of him.

“This is Hanji,” Nifa said. “She’s here for tonight’s tango class, but…”

“But she wouldn’t know a tango from a waltz even if it kicked her in the knee,” Levi growled.

Hanji practically reeked of total beginner. Her posture was awful, she wore a pair of tattered sneakers, and —

_‘Are those the same jeans from last week?’_ Levi wanted to throw the woman into a washer machine with an entire bottle of his strongest detergent because sure enough, a grass stain could be seen creeping along the curve of her butt.

“I’m a quick learner!” Hanji sputtered, a weak defense.

“You stink and you’re wearing sneakers,” he spat. She didn’t actually stink, but her hair looked greasy and he didn’t want to find out if she did or didn’t.

“What’s going on?” Lynne walked into the lobby, smelling faintly of a certain bathroom air freshener. “Levi, I told you to stop bullying newcomers.”

“She’s trying to take my class with zero experience,” Levi scoffed, crossing his arms. Hanji had yet to back down despite his obvious discontent; instead, she simply watched Levi and Lynne — but mostly him, he selfishly decided — without a decrease in that bubbling energy.

“It was an honest mistake though, right?” Lynne said, looking at Hanji, who nodded hard enough that Levi feared for her glasses. “Then just switch her to the basics course! They cost the same, anyway.”

_‘Lynne is too nice for her own good,’_ Levi thought, walking back to the office as the strange woman — no, Hanji, was set up for Lynne’s basics class. He plucked a well-used book off a bookshelf in the office, strode back to the lobby, and then shoved the book into Hanji’s arms.

“And don’t come in sneakers. Wear shoes that don’t have rubber soles,” Levi said, eyes narrowed in his seriousness. Then, because at this distance he could see the greasiness of her hair in better detail, he hissed, “ And for all our sakes, _bathe_.”

Levi spun on his heel and returned to the office for good without even a backwards glance. It was only until he was seated and had the paperwork from his remaining tango students out on his desk that he finally allowed himself to process what just happened.

_‘She came for me,’_ he thought, and chuckled. If Lynne had heard the sound, she would have thought that either Levi had cracked or was plotting something, but Levi was genuinely amused by the strange woman that thought she could dance tango with Levi in sneakers.

_‘She knows nothing about dance, and she knows nothing about me, but she actually came.’_ ’ He glanced over the paperwork, and then put them back into an organized filing folder. _‘She’s either stupid or crazy.’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: Actual ballroom dancing! Or rather, attempts are made at it.
> 
> Chapter 3 is in the works already. Track "fic: allowance" on Tumblr if you want updates, because this chapter was actually meant to be posted last night but had to be postponed.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An attempt at ballroom dancing is made and toes are physically, and metaphorically, stepped on. Later, Levi gossips with Lynne.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look!! Ballroom dancing!!! Yay!! Also, one could make a drinking game out of "how many characters can the author drop into this fic" because look, more tags.

Hanji wasn’t stupid, but it was a good thing that Levi couldn’t see her patting her pockets down with a look of mild surprise after she got on the city bus to head back to the dorms.

 

 _‘I left my keys in my room,’_ she sighed, leaning back against the bus seat.

 

She took out her cell phone, a cheap flip model, to fire a text at Nanaba to see if she was still at the dorm, and then picked up the book Levi had forced on her. It was simply titled _Ballroom Dancing_ , and the quote on the cover said it was “Recognized as the ballroom dancer’s bible.” It was roughly 300 pages, and weighed the same as one of her textbooks.

 

Her cell phone stopped her from opening the book. It was Nanaba, calling.

 

“I knew you would call, I found your keys on your desk,” Nanaba said, not bothering to greet her. There was a lot of background noise, and Nanaba was hard to hear. “Why are you calling so soon though? Didn’t the class start?”

 

“Nah, I got kicked out,” Hanji replied. “Where are you? Stohess?”

 

“KICKED OUT?” Nanaba’s voice roared through the speaker. “Yes, Stohess, now get over here so you can hold me back from storming the academy!”

 

Hanji hung up and laughed. Watching Nanaba get angry was like watching a pomeranian turn into a pitbull and it didn’t bode well for anyone on the receiving end of her wrath if friends were involved.

 

 _‘She’d meet her match with Levi,’_ Hanji thought, still chuckling. _‘I haven’t seen him get angry yet, but I bet it’s a sight to see.’_

 

She knew that what she saw earlier wasn’t an angry Levi, far from it, in fact. Hanji felt that his demeanor towards her was how he was to everyone. There wasn’t any hesitancy when he spoke so harshly to her, a paying customer, and in front of coworkers as well.

 

 _‘If anything, I’m happy for it!’_ she thought, grinning. _‘He doesn’t put on airs. He’d suck at selling cars, though.’_

 

The bus pulled up to the university, but instead of heading towards the dorms, she crossed the street to Stohess Bar and Grill, a favorite of students due to the close proximity of beer and food. Since it was Tuesday, the place was civil, and most of the noise came from music playing over the speakers. Hanji spotted her friends at a booth.

 

“Moblit! You’re out on a school night?” Hanji greeted the startled young man that she nearly sat on in her clumsiness.

 

Moblit merely squeaked, flushing. He was an engineering student like Hanji, and only recently started to hang out with Hanji and her friends. He tended to be quiet but compared to the other classmates Hanji had to deal with, he was a great help in the labs and often kept her from accidentally blowing up the school.

 

“Hanji! Please tell us the details, before Nanaba climbs over me,” said Gerger. He sat on the outside of the booth seat he shared with Nanaba, who did indeed look ready to climb over the bigger man to knock some heads.

 

“Apparently tango is hard, and I got moved to a beginner class,” Hanji laughed, and ordered and a water from the waitress that had appeared.

 

Nanaba instantly deflated. “Oh. Well, knowing you, that sounds believable. Here’s your keys, by the way.”

 

Gerger snorted into his beer at Nanaba’s quick change of mood. He and Nanaba went way back as friends, and had a thing for booze. Wine, whiskey, vodka, sake, you name it, he’s tried a million brands of it. The blond man knew his stuff, though, and was actually majoring in business to start his own microbrewery.

 

“So did you see Hottie McShort Stuff?” Nanaba asked, Levi suddenly back in her good graces.

 

“I think we’ve got at least a four inch height difference,” Hanji replied, smirking.

 

“Did he have big feet?” Gerger said, laughing as Nanaba shot him a look of disgust.

 

“Didn’t look.” Hanji’s brows bent in a look of regret. “Next time!”

 

\---------

 

Levi wasn’t at the academy on Thursday.

 

 _‘I should have known better,’_ Hanji thought, standing in one of the two studios before class began. She tried to reject the wave of disappointment that threatened to crash down on her. _‘It was silly of me to think he’d be here, I mean, not all professors teach a class every day after all.’_

 

She glanced around at the other students. There were only four of them counting herself: a man, a middle-aged woman, and a high school girl. Already, the older woman looked like a problem in the works. She held her head in a way that let Hanji see up her nose, and her expression was as sour as one could be without actually tasting a lemon. Hanji caught the woman looking at her with disdain.

 

‘ _Stay calm, Hanji,’_ she told herself as Lynne entered the room. _‘Maybe she’ll twist an ankle in those prissy heels of her’s.’_

 

“Good evening! I’m Lynne, your instructor for this class,” opened Lynne. “While these classes are only a half hour long, we’ve got a lot to cover, so let’s go ahead and introduce ourselves!”

 

“I’m Gail.” The older woman huffed as if the others should have known her name already. “I’ve already passed this class, I’m just taking it again to brush up since I had to take time off to recover from an ankle injury.”

 

Hanji congratulated herself on her correct observation of the woman’s ankles, and thought she saw Lynne’s eye twitch.

 

“I’m Mina,” the high schooler spoke up. She had black hair in pigtails and like Hanji, wore jeans and a T-shirt. She also wore sneakers, just like Hanji. “I was told about this place from a friend, so I thought I’d try it out.”

 

Hanji decided she liked Mina. The girl spoke with a firm confidence in herself, and had guts for speaking up after the sour old bitty.

 

“I’m Hanji,” Hanji chirped, feeling encouraged. “I guess you could call me a walk-in?”

 

Lynne gave her a wink. Gail huffed again.

 

“I’m Keiji,” the man spoke his first word since arriving. He was tall, tan, and had closely cut black hair. “My wife likes dancing, but I never got into it. I want to surprise her for our fifth anniversary, even if it’s just the basics.”

 

Lynne and Mina aw’d over Keiji while Hanji gave him light applause. Hanji realized his silence came from a wait-and-act attitude, rather than a gloomy personality.

 

 _‘Levi isn’t here, but I can still have fun,’_ Hanji thought, rocking on her heels. _‘Besides, I do want to actually learn how to dance. It’d be nice to not look stupid at the club anymore.’_

 

“Before we begin, any questions?” Lynne asked, concluding the introductions.

 

Hanji immediately raised her hand. “I was, uh, told not to wear sneakers, but it was either these or steel-toed boots,” she said, sheepishly. “Is that ok?”

 

Lynne laughed, remembering Levi’s commands from Tuesday. Hanji had also made sure to shower before leaving for class, too.

 

“They’re a little harder to dance in, but you’ll be fine in those for now,” Lynne said. She was wearing a plain, knee-length skirt and low heels herself. “This is just a basics class! For now, just have fun.”

 

Hanji and Mina sighed in relief together, and smiled at each other.

 

“So, for our first lesson, we’ll cover posture and the frame,” Lynne said. “If we have time, we’ll also cover the box step.”

 

Lynne gestured to a wall of the studio. “Straight posture is really important for a good frame, which is a basic position for two partners,” she explained. “Stand with your back to the wall, and I’ll see how your posture is.”

 

As Hanji expected, her posture was awful. She thought she heard Gail huff again — was the woman an old locomotive, or something? — as Lynne tapped Hanji’s shoulders back and her stomach for her.

 

 _‘I’m gonna be so stiff tomorrow,’_ Hanji groaned mentally as the students practiced walking away from the wall with straight posture. _‘My back will probably thank me in the future, though.’_

 

After Lynne demonstrated the frame with Keiji, the class hit a snag. Ballroom dancing depended on a lead and follow relationship between two partners, with the man being the lead and the woman the follow. With three women and one man, there was a woman left without a partner, even with  Lynne filling in for one of the male roles.

 

“Actually,” Hanji said, before the instructor could say anything. “I wanted to play the lead from the beginning. So I can dance with Mina!”

 

Mina moved towards Hanji immediately, obviously content with this announcement, but stopped with Gail let out her loudest huff yet. Confused at the sound of disagreement to what was a logical solution, Mina and Hanji looked at the older woman. Gail had clung to Keiji when it came time to divide into pairs, but now she tsked and tapped her foot.

 

“Women don’t lead, honey,” Gail said, the word “honey” dripping with mocking endearment. “You _are_ a woman, right? ‘Hanji’ is such a weird name, and I can’t tell otherwise.”

 

Silence reverberated off the studio walls, and with mirrors from one corner to another, Hanji could see what Gail saw at every angle. Hanji’s hand came up to her glasses to pinch one of the legs, and after a second’s pause, she let go and tapped them further up her nose.

 

 _‘Weak,’_ Hanji thought, slowly exhaling through her nose. _‘I’ve heard worse.’_

 

Out loud she said, with the biggest smile she could muster, “Well, good thing you have a partner already. I’d hate to lead you anywhere. Good luck, Keiji!”

 

Ignoring Gail’s flush of anger under the perfectly styled crop of carefully dyed blond hair, Hanji closed the remaining distance between Mina and herself. Keiji of course didn’t say anything, but he was definitely not looking at Gail.

 

“That’s perfectly fine, Hanji, thank you for volunteering!” Lynne said, smiling. She turned to Gail, and the smile disappeared. “Gail, please refrain from voicing negative opinions about fellow dancers. Red Shoes retains the policy to keep dancing open for all to enjoy in whatever way it is enjoyed, and same-sex ballroom dancing is becoming more widely spread. Please respect your classmates, or I will eject you from our class.”

 

Hanji watched with amusement as Gail sputtered something about “traditions” and proper dance instruction. Lynne simply narrowed her eyes, and the older woman shut up and turned back to poor Keiji.

 

 _‘I think Lynne got the wrong idea,’_ Hanji thought, sighing. _‘Eh. I’ll clear it up with her later.’_

 

“Don’t worry, I’m far more open-minded,” Mina told Hanji, voice reassuring.

 

“Nah, it’s ok, I’m used to it!” Hanji shrugged, and then bowed with an exaggerated flourish. “May I form the frame with you, m’lady?”

 

Mina giggled and clasped hands with Hanji.

 

\---------

 

Levi  had deliberately chosen to not show up at Red Shoes on Thursday.

 

While he usually spent every evening at the studio from Tuesday through Friday because of classes or private lessons, he had decided that Thursday evening was a very good day to dedicate towards cleaning his apartment and treating himself to a rare bubble bath instead of doing mundane office work.

 

While the bubble bath was worth it on it’s own, the events that had transpired while he was absent from the studio made his decision worth it even more. These events were very graciously given to him by Lynne on Tuesday afternoon when Levi arrived at the academy.

 

“Hey Levi, how was your weekend?” Lynne asked him. She was only teaching the one class this month, and only came to the academy on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Today she was at her desk, filing paperwork.

 

“Good,” Levi said, dropping his duffel bag by his own desk. He shot a glare at Mike’s desk; it was still a mess. Gentle classical music could be heard from across the hall as Mike carried on his waltz class, ignorant of Levi’s death stare through the walls.

 

“So,” Lynne began, leaning back in her chair while looking at Levi expectantly.

 

Levi grunted, sensing one of her chatty moods coming on. He opened one of his desk drawers with little interest in whatever she was about to say.

 

“Thursday’s basics class was very interesting,” Lynne continued.

 

Levi paused his search for a document. Now he was listening.

 

“First — and be ready for this one, it isn’t good — Gail is back,” Lynne sighed.

 

“Didn’t you tell me this two weeks ago when she first signed up?” Levi said, pulling out the document he had been looking for.

 

“Yes, but I was hoping she’d, I dunno, twist her ankle again or something,” Lynne said, shrugging. “Apparently she likes bullying more than dancing, because I don’t think she’s practiced at all before coming back but she’s already picked a new target.”

 

Levi said nothing. Gail was already renowned throughout the academy for being a Class B pain in the rear. Lynne was dragging this out, and he was not biting the bait.

 

“Hanji is quite the character,” Lynne finally caved. “Where on earth do you find these students? I’m beginning to think you have a weird talent for it.”

 

“All I did was dance,” Levi drawled, pretending to read the document. “That’s all I ever do.”

 

“Right. Well, Hanji wants to lead,” Lynne said, finally dropping her point.

 

Levi stopped pretending to read and looked over at her, eyebrow raised.

 

“She’s not gay, if that’s what you’re asking me,” Lynne said, matching his eyebrow stance with her own. “She cleared that up with me herself. They’re three women to one man, but when I was going to call Auruo in, she volunteered to dance with the other girl.”

 

“You sure she’s not doing it just to make it even?” Levi asked, turning back to the document. “Tell her it’s not the same as following, so if she wants to learn properly, she needs to follow from the start of her learning.”

 

Lynne hummed a negative. “She said she had intended on leading from the very beginning. Wouldn’t tell me why, just that she wasn’t into women romantically and that she wanted to lead. Her partner — a high schooler, they’re all very open-minded these days — was fine with it.”

 

“But Gail was not,” Levi said, making the connection to Lynne’s earlier statement. Internally, he was surprised to hear about Hanji’s preference to lead. _‘What is she thinking?’_

 

“Ugh, no, she wasn’t!” Lynne groaned. “She called Hanji out right away of course, and pretty much said to her face that she looked like a man.”

 

Levi stared at Lynne with a look he usually reserved for public toilets.

 

“I know right?” Lynne hit her desk with open palms. “Her generation calls kids the ‘entitled’ generation, when her’s is rude as f-”

 

“Lynne, check the Mama Bear,” Levi interrupted.

 

The other instructor, half out of her seat with rage, deflated. “Oops,” she said, glancing at the open office door. “My bad. But seriously! Who says that to someone’s face?”

 

“Middle-aged women without life goals,” Levi quipped. “Now get to the point, Lynne.”

 

“Hanji gave it right back, something about not wanting to lead Gail anywhere anyway. Gail kept trying to take shots at her all night, because as it happens…” Lynne trailed off dramatically. “Hanji kind of sucks at dancing.”

 

Levi put his face into his hand, rubbing his eyes with it. Half of him wanted to defend Hanji, because she was, after all, a complete novice. But the other half disagreed. _‘She has “klutz” written all over her and her butt,’_ he thought. _‘Hoping for natural talent was asking for too much.’_

 

“She’ll probably get better if she practices,” Lynne said, twirling a pen. “She did all the beginner mistakes. Looking at her feet, her hand on Mina’s waist instead of her shoulder blade, and let’s not discuss the state of Mina’s toes — oh, and she came in sneakers, by the way.”

 

Levi made a noise crossed between a snort and a scoff.

 

“She said it was those or steel-toed boots!” Lynne laughed. She stood up and walked across the office. Pausing at the door, she looked at Levi with a mischievous grin and said, “Imagine, a woman leading a man while wearing steel-toed boots and dancing a tango.”

Levi awarded her the glare reserved for drivers who don’t use turn signals, but she laughed it off and left the office. As soon as he heard the bathroom door open and shut down the hall, he leaned back in his chair, and laughed. It was soft and rusty, but it was a laugh.

 

 _‘Steel-toed boots,’_ he thought, the image of Hanji in dirty boots making him amused and disgusted at the same time. _‘I’d give my whole tea collection to see Gail’s face.’_

 

He leaned forward, contemplating Hanji’s actions.

 

‘ _I didn’t show up on Thursday because I wanted to make it clear that I won’t pander to her just because she’s interested in me,’_ Levi thought, drumming his fingers on the desk. ‘ _Ballroom dancing is not my hobby, and I’m getting too old for short-lived flings. Leading, huh?’_

 

Hanji’s face as it was during that Friday afternoon performance appeared in his mind, and Levi suddenly knew Hanji’s reason for leading. It sent a shiver down his spine.

  
 _‘I’m not gonna let her know it, but it worked,’_ he thought, a smirk spreading slowly across his face. _‘She got my attention.’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Breaking news: Levi discovers he has a kink for steel-toed boots.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hanji meets Eren and Levi isn't sure if it was a good thing or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for the comments and kudos!! This is a lot of attention I didn't expect to get! :D I will continue to work hard!

Nanaba and Hanji stood in Hanji’s dorm room, positioned over an outline of a square made of out of electrical tape. Hanji’s room was small, and with all of the clutter in it, there was barely enough room for the outline taped on the floor, let alone the two people standing on it. The room held a bed, dresser, and a desk, but every inch of free space was filled with books, clothes, and the occasional toolbox.

 

“Wow, you’re starting to look like a raccoon with those bags under your eyes,” Nanaba said.

 

Hanji wanted to stick her tongue out in response to Nanaba’s words, but their faces were only inches apart. The thought of Nanaba’s reaction to a surprise lick on the nose made Hanji giggle.

 

“Ow!” Nanaba nearly bashed Hanji’s nose in her effort to look down at their feet. “Stop daydreaming, my feet can’t take much more of this, and I’m still wearing my shoes!”

 

“Sorry,” Hanji apologized. She guided them back to a corner on the outline. “Let’s start over.”

 

“I thought you did laundry on Sunday,” Nanaba commented, nudging a bra on the floor with her foot.

 

“I did!” Hanji protested. She took up the frame position with Nanaba. “But today is Tuesday! I’ve worn clothes since Sunday.”

 

“You know, sometimes I feel like if it weren’t for coffee, you’d forget to wear clothes period,” Nanaba said, rolling her eyes. “Now, let’s try this box step again.”

 

The box step was a simple move and a basic component in several dances. The lead started by moving their left foot forward to the upper left corner of the “box”, and then moved their right foot diagonally to the upper right corner with the left foot joining it upon contact with the floor.

 

Hanji had no problem with that part of the step. It was the part that came after that gave Hanji trouble. The right foot was supposed go backwards to step on the bottom right “box” corner, with the left foot crossing diagonally to the bottom left corner, and the right foot joins it afterwards. Hanji kept stepping with her left.

 

During the first lesson on Thursday, Hanji had performed the box step poorly, and she doubted Mina would come to class in heels as long as Hanji was her partner. The Locomotive — Hanji’s new pet name for Gail, to Mina’s delight — had huffed and made snide remarks about Hanji’s effort the entire time.

 _‘If Mina wasn’t there, I’d probably snap on that old lady,’_ Hanji thought, slowly moving her left foot forward while Nanaba moved backwards in tandem with her. _‘The kid is great, she looks sweet, but there’s a lot of snark under those pigtails!’_

 

Hanji started moving her foot backwards, but Nanaba stopped her. “Wrong foot,” she said. “You moved your left, but it’s supposed to be your right.”

 

“Whoops!” Hanji consulted a diagram she had printed off the internet. “Hm! I keep making that mistake.”

 

They started over again from the bottom right corner.

 

“You’re really gunning for this guy, aren’t you?” Nanaba commented, swiftly dodging Hanji’s foot, which moved too quickly. “You’re taking lessons, and you’re even practicing outside of the class.”

 

“Well, you know me, I don’t do things by halves,” Hanji said cheerily, succeeding in moving the correct foot this time.

 

“But why?” Nanaba pressed on. “You only saw him dance. With a guy, too, what if he’s not into women?”

 

“Nah,” Hanji shook his head. “If you saw the look he gave me, you’d get it.”

 

“Wait, look?” Nanaba stopped moving and Hanji nearly pushed her over. “What look? You didn’t tell me this.”

 

Hanji blinked. “I didn’t? He caught me staring at him while he was dancing, and he smirked at me.”

 

“A smirk? Not like, a smile or something?” Nanaba looked confused. “How did you even see that, they were moving the whole time and he was pressed really close to the other guy.”

 

“Don’t doubt my observational skills!” Hanji stuck out her tongue this time. “I know what I saw, and he knows it too. It wasn’t a smile, it was a _challenge._ ”

 

“A challenge to what, exactly?” Nanaba asked, raising an eyebrow.

 

“I don’t know,” Hanji replied, shrugging her shoulders.

 

Nanaba smacked her forehead and groaned.

 

“Not specifically!” Hanji said, feeling frustrated again. She shoved her hand under her glasses to rub her eyes. “I just know that I wasn’t rejected. Gut instinct, I guess? I don’t know why he smirked at me, just that he did, and I am _definitely_ interested.”

 

“And what if he’s not interested in you?” Nanaba’s words were in gentle in her effort to soften the question. “What if you misread his smirk?”

 

“Oh, he is,” Hanji grinned, and winked at her. “I told you not to doubt my observational skills. I totally saw him checking out my butt!”

 

\-----------------------

 

On Thursday evening, Hanji showed up a little early at Red Shoes. While she had once again made sure to shower before class, her intent was not to catch a glimpse of a certain dark-haired man, but to practice the box step with the aid of mirrors.

 

“Hi, Nifa!” Hanji greeted the receptionist as she entered the academy.

 

“Hi, Hanji! Came early to warm up?” Nifa asked.

 

“Yup! I kind of sucked bad last week,” Hanji replied in good nature. “I wanted to see if I could check my posture before class.”

 

“Ok! The B studio is in use so use the A studio,” Nifa said, and then returned to her paperwork.

 

“Thanks!” Hanji set off towards the hall. She was about to enter A studio when the opening of a very familiar song began to play.

 

 _‘That’s the song that Levi danced to!’_ Hanji thought, head whipping to look down the hall. She hurried over to B studio’s open door, hopes rising.

 

The green-eyed guy from two weeks ago was dancing, but not with Levi. Instead, his partner was a girl with blonde hair in a bun with the flattest expression Hanji had ever seen on someone so pretty. She wore a simple blue dress and heels, while the guy wore black pants and a T-shirt.

 

“You look disappointed.” A low voice near Hanji made her jump back. In her haste, she had missed seeing Levi standing by the door in white pants and a black tank top.

 

“I’m not breaking a rule by watching, am I?” Hanji asked, a serious question while dodging his statement. Her heart pounded; she really hadn’t expected to see him tonight, or at least not so close up. She scolded herself for being thrown off so badly.

 

“Not really, just don’t talk too loudly or mess up their concentration,” Levi said, his eyes on the dancers. “They’ve got a competition coming up soon.”

 

Hanji hummed an affirmative, but she doubted it was heard over the music. She watched as the dancers continued their routine, noting that while the girl definitely had more feminine movements than Levi’s version had as well as more flair and style, it held little appeal for Hanji. It just wasn’t the same.

 

 _‘Told you, Nanaba,’_ Hanji thought, holding back a grin. _‘It’s not the dance or the role swap, it’s_ him.’

 

The music finished and when the two dancers concluded their routine, Hanji noticed that it didn’t have a split at the end of it this time.

 

“Annie, would it kill you to look less like a dancing corpse when you dance?” Levi said in a sarcastic tone as he strode forward.

 

“But Levi, if she’s a corpse then she’s already dead, right?” the boy spoke up, genuinely confused.

 

Levi popped him in the back of his head. Hanji snorted; the move looked so casual and was received with so little surprise that it must happen regularly.

 

“I’ll smile for the judges when I need to,” Annie said, voice as deadpan as her face.

 

“You better be lucky you’re doing the tango,” Levi growled. “It’s easy to make a dead face into a sultry face just by twitching your mouth the right way.”

 

“Speaking from experience, sir?” said the brunette dancer, laughing as he dodged Levi’s hand.

 

Levi glared at him and looked back at Hanji, who entered the studio further at Levi’s signal. “This is Hanji,” he said. “She’s in Lynne’s basics class.”

 

“Hi! I’m Eren,” the guy said. “This is my dance partner, Annie.”

 

“Nice to meet you, Eren!” Hanji held out her hand and shook Eren’s. He had a firm grip and matched her energy in the shake. “I saw the sidewalk performance you did with Levi, and decided to give dancing a shot!”

 

“Really?” Eren blushed, misinterpretating her statement to mean he inspired Hanji to take lessons. “I wasn’t _that_ good, was I?”

 

“No, your performance was total trash,” Levi cut in. Eren’s face fell, even though it was obvious that Levi’s words held no truth to them.

 

“Oh my,” Hanji said, voice hushed in exaggeration as she realized what Eren’s change in expression meant. She cupped Eren’s face with both hands and said, “He’s _adorable.”_

 

“You should see him when he’s angry,” Levi scoffed. “It’s like the Hulk was trapped in a high schooler’s body.”

 

Hanji considered this. “We’d make quite a pair then, Eren!” she said, laughing. “Let’s create some mass destruction together sometime! I’ve actually got a rocket in the works, I’ll invite you over when I get to fire it!”

 

Eren’s face lit up while Levi looked like he was still trying to figure out if Hanji was being serious. Annie even looked interested.

 

“Are you a mad scientist or something?” Eren asked. His face had returned to its normal color, and his eyes — which really were a stunning shade of green — sparkled.

 

“I’m an engineering student,” Hanji said with a wink. “Same thing, really.”

 

Annie glanced at a clock on the patch of wall by the door that wasn’t covered in mirrors. “My ride is going to be here soon,” she said, moving towards the door. “C’mon, Eren.”

 

“It was nice meeting you, Miss Hanji!” Eren said, waving goodbye as he followed Annie.

 

“Can I keep him?” Hanji asked Levi in the silence that followed the dancers’ departure.

 

“No,” replied Levi. “It’s illegal, he’s not eighteen yet. Now get to your class.”

 

Hanji walked to A studio, but Levi followed her.

 

“Hanji, there you are!” Lynne said, though it was 8pm on the dot. “And Levi too? Came to watch?”

 

Levi grunted and sat in a chair by the door as Hanji joined Mina in line against the opposite wall for posture check. Hanji groaned; she didn’t get to practice straightening her posture before class began.

 

“Did you see the Locomotive’s face when you guys walked in?” Mina whispered to Hanji.

 

Hanji stretched out her neck to see Gail’s face and sure enough, it was contorted in an ugly expression as the older woman glared daggers at Levi. Hanji snorted. “Something tells me I just found Levi’s number one fan,” she said. “I’m gonna have to make use of that someday.”

 

Mina giggled, then straightened her posture for Lynne.

 

\-----------------------

 

Levi watched Lynne conduct her class with amusement and a healthy shot of secondhand embarrassment. Lynne was right, Hanji sucked, or rather, the woman just lacked natural grace and poise. It seemed like she was managing the correct posture well enough, but she kept switching to the wrong foot during the box step. As Lynne got the students going on a box step in a circular pattern around the room, he thought about the surprise both he and Hanji had gotten this evening.

 

He knew his private session with Eren and Annie butted up against Hanji’s class, but not that she would arrive early enough to actually see the session itself. He almost smirked in memory of the look on Hanji’s face when she saw that it wasn’t Levi dancing.

 

 _‘She’s almost as transparent as Eren,’_ he thought, watching Hanji scrunch her face in obvious concentration as she led a black-haired girl around the room. He cringed as the toes of said partner got stepped on, again. _‘But worse than Eren was at this level. Good grief, why do I keep picking up stray elephants…?’_

 

Levi remembered the way Eren lit up over Hanji. The kid used to have a lot of issues, violent ones, but he’d gotten a lot milder since Levi had started working with him. Levi regretted teasing his student with the Hulk comment; he had gotten a little miffed when Hanji dodged the implication of her true reason for taking lessons.

 

 _‘She’s not all there either, apparently,’_ Levi thought, remembering the look that had flashed across Hanji’s face when he mentioned Eren’s anger issues. He had barely seen the brief look of sympathy and pain on her face. _‘Great. Now I have_ two _suspects to think of whenever I hear cop sirens.’_

 

Gail accidentally caught Levi’s eye and the look of disgust she gave him rivaled his own whenever he caught sight of Mike’s desk. He gave her the sweetest smile he could muster, which, on his face, looked like a demon-possessed doll’s smile before it killed the little girl that always pulled on its hair. Gail paled under her thick make up and carried on, pressing against her partner’s hands too much in her haste and nearly making the man stumble.

 

 _‘She’s quick with her mind, I’ll give her that,’_ Levi’s thoughts returned to their previous subject as Lynne paused Hanji to give her advice. _‘I teased her twice but she didn’t bite. I know full well that she’s taking lessons because of_ me _, though.’_

 

Gail passed by Levi again with a deliberately timed huff in his direction, and Levi got a devilish idea. He stood up and winked at Lynne, who was sure to leap on him about this after class, and walked over to Gail and her partner.

 

“You keep botching the step,” Levi said to Gail, stopping their dancing. After motioning the taller man to move away, Levi took up the frame with Gail, who looked equal parts stunned and offended.

 

The rest of the class stopped to watch with interest as Levi led Gail around the room.

 

“ _This_ is how it’s done,” Levi said, making sure to speak up since he was now face-to-face with Gail’s breasts.

 

Gail made a strangled noise in her throat, still thrown off guard by Levi’s actions. There really hadn’t been any fault in the woman’s dancing; Gail was getting bitter with age and more like a bully each day, but she knew how to hold herself and was no stranger to the box step.

 

Levi halted their actions and let go of Gail’s hand in a graceful ending transition. He glanced at Hanji on his way back to his chair. It was all he could do to keep his face in its normal, stoic mask.

 

The plan was to make Hanji jealous, but the woman was _laughing._ Full on gut-holding laughter, with glasses slipping dangerously down that nose of her’s as she tried to contain her amusement.

 

Levi had lost again, with an unknowing Hanji crowned the victor.

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hanji makes coffee and Levi murders a stress ball.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, I had a con over the weekend. :'D Thank you for all of the comments!! I didn't expect so much attention, and positive attention at that! I think my inbox on Tumblr has lost twenty pounds, it's been getting such a workout.
> 
> [Speaking of Tumblr, here's mine](http://glitchikinnsblog.tumblr.com/) by the way, as a reminder that I post updates pertaining to the fic (like delays). Feel free to message me for questions too!

 

As Levi returned to his seat, Hanji tried to contain her laughter so she could focus on the box step. Mina was smiling after Levi’s little demonstration, but looked confused as to why Hanji found it so funny.

 

“Are you gonna be ok?” Mina asked as they slowly walked and turned around the room to the beat of softly playing music.

 

“Snrk-yeah, I’m fine,” Hanji snickered. “Did you see the Locomotive’s face when he took over? She looked like she was gonna lose it!”

 

“That was Levi, right?” Mina asked. "My friends told me about him."

 

“Yeah, he teaches here, too,” Hanji replied, maneuvering Mina in a turn that could actually be called graceful. “Hm! I think I’m getting the hang of this!”

 

“You’ve gotten a lot better,” Mina agreed.

 

 _‘Probably ‘cuz I’m having the time of my life right now,’_ Hanji thought, a giggle slipping out. _‘He actually tried to make me jealous! I almost can’t believe it, and I could be reading it wrong, but man, it was worth the look on Gail’s face alone!’_

 

Lynne clapped her hands to signal the end of their practice, and the two pairs of dancers came to a stop.

 

“The box step can easily turn into the rhumba and the waltz,” Lynne said. “It’s all in the way you move your hips and legs. Levi, since you’re conveniently here…?”

 

Hanji saw Levi sigh as he stood up. She had noticed that his scowl had deepened after his demo. As he took up the frame with  Lynne, Hanji threatened to break out in laughter again. Gail had been taller than Levi by an inch or two in her heels, but Lynne was around Hanji’s height without heels, so she was at least a half foot taller than Levi.

 

‘ _He_ **was** _trying to make me jealous,’_ Hanji thought, watching the man’s face darken in irritance.

 

“With rhumba, there’s a lot of hip movement and a quicker tempo,” Lynne was saying. She allowed Levi to guide her for a few steps, and they deliberately exaggerated the way their hips moved to their steps.

 

“With the waltz, the movements are broader and wider steps are taken to a slower tempo,” Lynne said. They repeated the box step again, but with long, sweeping movements. It wasn’t as lively or energetic as the previous version, but looked more like ballroom dancing to someone without knowledge of ballroom dancing techniques.

 

Lynne and Levi gracefully broke apart, but instead of returning to his seat, Levi left the room. Hanji tried not to giggle again.

 

“We’ll start with a quick tempo for a few minutes, and then we’ll use a slow tempo,” Lynne said, ignoring Levi’s exit and moving towards the music speakers. “After that, I’ll teach you the next basic step, the triple step, and that’ll be it for tonight!”

 

\------------------------------

 

Hanji arrived at her dorm in high spirits. Levi didn’t show himself after he left her class, but she wasn’t disappointed. She had gotten a good eyeful of him that evening, and she was sure that she would see him again next week.

 

 _‘And now, homework,’_ Hanji thought. She entered her dorm block and headed to the kitchen. _‘But first, coffee!’_

 

Hanji lived in a dorm block with two other girls besides Nanaba. The block consisted of four rooms that felt as small as shoeboxes and a small living area that held a couch and a beat-up TV that constantly needed Hanji to fix it. The kitchen was just a glorified kitchenette; it had a small oven, but it, too, needed Hanji-style TLC every now and then.

 

 _‘Ugh, maybe we should just file a complaint,’_ Hanji thought, seeing a hastily scribbled “broken” sign on the stove. She ignored it and opened a cabinet to grab her coffee. _‘Nah, not like I ever use the thing myself.’_

 

After a few minutes, the smell of coffee began filling the room. Hanji bent to be at eye level with the pot, and watched the dark liquid fall into the glass pot. Behind her, the dorm block’s entrance opened and Hanji jerked up, only to bash her head on the cabinet above the counter.

 

“Hi, Sadie!”  Hanji chirped to the girl that had walked in.

 

“Oh, hi Hanji,” answered the dark skinned girl. She was a freshman, straight out of high school. A literature student, if Hanji remembered right.

 

“Just making some coffee,” Hanji explained, though the gurgling machine behind her clearly stated her purpose for standing there. “Got a stack of homework due tomorrow.”

 

Sadie looked at the clock on the microwave. “It’s already ten, don’t you have a morning class on Fridays?” she asked.

 

“Yeah,” Hanji shrugged. “At seven thirty, but it’s just a lab, nothing I’m not used to. Heh, think we should complain about this stove? It’s broken again.”

 

“Mm, maybe,” Saide replied. There was a moment of silence, then Sadie’s phone chimed and she pulled it out of her bag to answer it. “Oh, hey, what’s up?”

 

Hanji watched Sadie enter her room without another glance at Hanji. She sighed, and turned back around to pour her coffee into a thermos. Roommates had come and gone over the years, but Hanji reasoned that while none of them had stuck like Nanaba, at least they hadn’t been bad people. She took a swig from her still-hot coffee and savored the burn down her throat.

 

 _‘Alright, now I can work!’_ she thought, taking her thermos to her room. _‘I’ve got to have this chapter work done tonight, do the lab exercise in the morning, and then my shift at Sergio’s until nine...’_

 

Hanji caught sight of the tape on her floor, and a dopey grin spread across her face. Feeling a little happier, she  moved a pile of clothes off her desk chair to the floor and sat down.

 

‘ _Levi is a really interesting person!’_ Hanji thought, searching for a pen. _‘We just met, but he’s already trying to make me jealous? I’m beginning to think he’s as weird as I am.’_

 

She paused, hand in the air with a pen in it. ‘ _Nah,’_ she snorted. _‘I’m pretty weird! But if this doesn’t mean he’s interested in me, I don’t know what else it could mean.’_

 

After another swig of coffee, Hanji finally opened her textbook. ‘ _I wonder how I can get him to dance with me...’_ ’

 

\------------------------------

 

When the box step demonstration with Lynne ended, Levi had tried very hard to not look like he was fleeing the dance studio as he broke away from Lynne’s class and left the room.

 

 _‘She laughed at me!’_ he fumed, entering the instructor office. He made a beeline for his desk, sat down with a noisy clatter, and began searching his desk drawer for his stress ball. _‘I was dancing with another woman, she should have been jealous, right? But she **laughed** at me instead, as if she knew what I was doing!’_

 

“Huh, I haven’t seen that face since Auruo accidentally spilled that gallon of floor cleaner.”

 

A deep voice from his left made Levi almost drop his stress ball. Mike was sitting as his desk with an amused expression. The man with shaggy, blond hair didn’t look like a ballroom dancer; at a six-foot-ridiculous height and with pecs as wide as Levi’s shoulders, Mike looked more like a football player than a graceful professional dancer. Levi wasn’t sure how he missed the huge man upon entering the office; he blamed the dim lighting.

 

“Clean your filthy desk,” Levi snarled, not wanting to talk to the man. “With that nose of yours, I can’t see how you can be such a slob.”

 

“None of this smells except for the coffee cups, and I like the smell of coffee,” Mike shrugged. It wasn’t the first time they had bickered over the state of Mike’s desk. “What’s got _your_ panties in a bunch?”

 

“None of your business.” Levi pulled out his music device and shoved his ear buds into his ears, clearly indicating that he was going to start ignoring Mike. Without looking, he pressed play and dropped the device on his desk to pick up some paperwork.

 

A soothing piano began trickling into his ears as Ravel’s “Sonatine-Modéré” started to play. Levi gave the stress ball a few squeezes with his right hand, and stared at the papers in his left intently, pretending to read them.

 

 _‘What was I thinking?’_ he thought, turning his irritation to himself. _‘This is a woman who takes a tango class on a whim and builds **rockets** , she is definitely not Rico. I was stupid for pulling that stunt.’_

 

Levi felt his nerves calm as the song slowly worked it’s way into his system. When he first got into ballroom dancing, he thought classical music was for stuffy old rich farts, but over time, he learned to appreciate the lack of lyrics, the rise and fall of the orchestras, and the open invitation for the listener to use their own imagination to see a narrative. The tranquil mood, however, changed when Tchaikovsky’s “Slavonic March”, a more dramatic piece of music, revved up.

 

 _‘She really was leading,’_ Levi thought, remembering Hanji guiding her partner around. ‘ _Her partner is more graceful, but if she keeps practicing, maybe I’ll even let her dance with me just once.’_

 

The music crashed around his ears and he squeezed the little blue ball in a crushing death grip.

 

 _‘Dance with me? She’s a thousand years away from being on par with **me** ,’_ Levi scoffed to himself. Then he smirked. _‘I could spin her around so much those glasses of her’s would fall off, if she didn’t trip over her own feet first.’_

 

The image of dipping a dizzy and flustered Hanji with her face just inches from his sprang into his mind, and Levi threw the stress ball at the office wall across from his desk as orchestra music blasted into his ears again.

 

 _‘No. That is **not** something I need to be thinking about, at least not yet.’_ ’

 

Levi turned off his music and pulled the ear buds out of his ears in time to hear Mike tell Lynne, “I think Levi is broken.”

 

Lynne, whose class must have ended, looked at Levi with her “teacher” pose — hands on her hips and an eyebrow arched as high as it could go.

 

“Yeah, what’s going on, Levi?” she asked. “You rarely sit in on my classes, and while I appreciate seeing Gail get thrown for a loop, you totally jumped into my class.”

 

“I just wanted to prod her a bit,” Levi said, but it wasn’t Gail he was referring to. “Sorry.”

 

“See?” Mike said, pointing at Levi. “He’s broken, Levi never apologizes. Not sure if I want him fixed though.”

 

Levi turned up the voltage on his glare at Mike as Lynne knelt to pick up the abused stress ball. Levi reached out to take it from her, but when she didn’t let go of it, he turned his glare towards her. She merely grinned at him.

 

“You think you can hide it from me,” she said in a low voice. “But you can’t. I know you well enough now, and I see what you’re doing.”

 

“Why, what’s he doing besides murdering another one of Erwin’s stress balls?” Mike asked.

 

“Nothing,” Levi growled, snatching the ball away from Lynne.

 

“Chill, I didn’t say I was gonna intervene,” Lynne said soothingly. “I’ll totally root for you, and I promise not to step in and try to help, because I know you’d hate that.”

 

“Help him with what?” Mike was looking between Lynne and Levi with confusion that Levi needed to keep on Mike’s scruffy face.

 

‘ _Lynne wouldn’t tell anyone I’m gunning for a student, but Mike would,’_ Levi thought, scowling at an innocent Mike as if he had already tattled on Levi. To Lynne he said, “There’s nothing to root for. Leave me alone.”

 

Lynne tsked at him, but walked to her desk. Levi put away his paperwork and grabbed his duffel bag.

 

“I’m leaving. Good night,” he said, cutting off another question from Mike and leaving the office.

 

Auruo called a “Goodnight, Levi!” as Levi passed through the back room and he grunted in response. He made his way to his car, and as he shoved his key into the lock.

 

 _‘A bunch of busy-bodies is not what I need right now,’_ he thought, getting into his car. _‘I don’t even know what I’m doing. Is this what I’ve fallen to? Getting excited over the first person to show an interest for me in years?’_

 

He performed his now-ritualistic procedure of chanting swear words while mashing his car’s brake pedal to get the machine running, and then pealed out of the parking lot. The night was a bit chilly with the oncoming autumn weather, but Levi opened a window anyway and let the wind whip around him. He pretended that the wind was taking hold of his uncharacteristic feeling of self-doubt and flinging it out of his car, away from him.

 

 _‘Fine. Since subtlety doesn’t work on her, I’ll just go the obvious route,’_  he decided. _‘Let’s see her rise to **this** challenge.’_

 

\------------------------------

 

The week came and went, with Thursday following on its heels. Levi had another private session with Eren and Annie before Hanji’s class, but this time, Hanji did not show up early. In fact, she was late, and Lynne had to ask Levi to partner with Mina for now.

 

“Hey, so like, does the Locomotive hate you or something?” the girl asked as Levi guided her around the room in a rotating triple step. The triple step consisted of a short double-step to the left or right, and was used in dances like the polka. “She was hissing like a cat when Lynne called you in.”

 

Levi stared at her, not following Mina’s words at all. “Locomotive?”

 

Mina blinked. “Oh, sorry! I meant Gail. Hanji started calling her that because she keeps huffing and puffing,” she explained.

 

Levi turned his head to the side in a sad attempt to conceal a snort. “We have history,” he said, dryly. “She doesn’t like my way of teaching.”

 

Mina looked like she knew that he didn’t give her the full answer, but let it slide. “So are you and Hanji dating?” she asked next, all seriousness and no jest.

 

“ _What?”_ Levi halted their dancing and tried to retrieve his jaw from the floor.

 

Mina shrugged. “I’m a friend of Eren and Annie’s,” she said, holding her arms back up to signal that she wanted to resume dancing. “They tell me things.”

 

Levi narrowed his eyes and took up the position with Mina. “No,” he growled. “I am not dating her.”

 

Not yet, anyway. _‘But I don’t need a bunch of brats all over me,’_ he thought. ‘ _At this rate, the whole city will know.’_

 

Loud footsteps rose over the music that was playing at low volume, and Hanji suddenly filled the studio's doorway.

 

“Sorry I’m late!” she gasped out, breathing heavily. “I lost track of time in the lab at school!”

 

Hanji was a literal mess. She was wearing grungy work pants and a work jacket, both covered in scuffs and what suspiciously looked like burn holes. Her hair, which had always been kind of haphazard, was in a drooping ponytail with most of it hanging down her back. She was sweaty and there was a smudge of black stuff on her cheek.

 

On her feet were steel-toed boots.

 

“Don’t step in here with those,” Levi said, voice coming out harsher than he intended in his hurry to keep Hanji from entering. “You’ll ruin the hardwood. Take them off first.”

 

Hanji looked down at her feet and a look of dismay crossed her face at the sight of her footwear.

 

“Aw man,” she muttered, kneeling to pull them off. “Forgot my sneakers…”

 

“What’s your shoe size, Hanji?” Lynne asked. She stopped the music and was now watching with a big smile on her face. “I have a pair in the office.”

 

“Uh, size ten in men’s,” Hanji replied, sheepishly. Levi cringed, but not at her words. Hanji’s socks used to be white, unless socks were actually produced in that shade of gray.

 

“What’s your size, Levi?” Lynne asked. “You usually have some too, right?”

 

“Size nine,” he said, but even if they had fit, she was not putting those feet in _his_ shoes. “Just dance barefoot then.”

 

Hanji was giggling over something, but stopped when Gail let out a loud squawk.

 

“Disgusting!” the woman spat. “Do you want me to file a health complaint?”

 

“The floor gets cleaned after every class,” Lynne said. “Believe me when I say that you’ll find no cleaner dance studio than our’s.”

 

Levi ignored Lynne’s pointed look in his direction. Hanji had stuffed her socks in her boots and took her jacket off, revealing a faded T-shirt with a dragon design that barely clung to the fabric for dear life. She walked over to Levi and Mina, to take over for Levi.

 

“Sorry for being late, Mina,” Hanji apologized, sincerity lacing every word. “Usually I set a timer to remind me but I couldn’t hear it over the equipment today.”

 

“Ugh.” Levi’s nose crinkled. “You stink.”

 

Hanji laughed, and re-did her ponytail. Levi noted that when it was down, it reached her shoulder blades in cascading layers. “Sorry! I was welding today.”

 

Mina waved it off, saying it didn’t bother her and her brother smelled worse, and Levi took the chance to leave the studio. As he walked passed Gail, he paused and said, “If this class bothers you, I _am_ available for private sessions right now.” The words came out with one of his sweet-murder smiles.

 

Gail flinched. “No thank you,” she said primly, and turned back to her neglected dance partner. He doubted this would be the end of it, but he ignored her and kept walking.

 

Levi spent the rest of Lynne’s class in the office. Mike was gone that day, so no one was there to hear Levi laugh over the memory of Hanji in steel-toed boots.

 

‘ _Wonder if she likes tea,’_ he mused.

 

He cornered Hanji after class ended to carry out what he had intended to do before Hanji’s class had she not been late. The studio was empty except for Hanji as she put her boots back on.

 

“Eren and Annie’s dancesport competition is at 5pm this Sunday,” he said, getting straight to the point. “As their instructor, they gave me two tickets. Want the second one?”

 

Hanji looked as if Levi first grew purple hair, and then gave her a gift-wrapped present with a big bow on it.

 

“Yes!” she replied, rushing to stand up and nearly toppled over. Levi reached out on reflex to catch her arm, and was surprised to feel her strength as she leaned onto it to stand. Ignoring the tiny flutter in his chest, he took a slip of paper out of his pocket.

 

“Don’t be late, eat before you leave, and wear good clothes,” he said, handing her the slip. “I’ll be in a suit, but I’m the instructor so it’s expected. You’re just spectating, so the best you’ve got is fine.”

 

Hanji frowned at this, and Levi wondered if all she owned were T-shirts. He was beginning to think he didn’t mind, and now he was curious to know if she was strong enough to lift him.

 

“I’ll see if my roommate has anything,” Hanji finally said. “We’re built almost the same way, though her feet are smaller, lucky her.”

 

“I’ll see you there, then,” Levi said, and then turned around to return to the office.

 

“Bye, Levi!” Hanji sang behind him.

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hanji has fun and Levi's ear is left ringing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thank you to July Storms for the lovely comments. :D Everyone is welcome to leave comments and crit! Each message keeps my battery energized! \\(*_*)/ Also I think my squad bias is really showing itself, haha...

Hanji found out that Nanaba didn’t own any fancy clothes either, which led to the two standing in Gerger’s small apartment on Sunday afternoon.

 

“Don’t you work weekends?” Gerger asked, head stuck in his closet. His bedroom was a lot like the rest of his apartment; it wasn’t a sloppy mess like Hanji’s dorm room, but a person definitely lived in it. A few blazers were laid out on his bed where Hanji was perched.

 

“Nah, Sergio’s is closed on Sundays,” Hanji replied. She was freshly showered and had her hair down. Nanaba had managed to find a pair of black slacks that were almost a hair too big and a yellow colored shirt that was a little loose around the shoulders, but it was an outfit deemed passable for at least a job interview if not a classy date.

 

“Here, try this one,” Gerger said, handing Hanji a black blazer. “It’s kinda old, but I think it’s the one that the dry cleaners shrank.”

 

Hanji pulled it on. It was still big on her since Gerger was built broader than her, but it wasn’t like wearing a trash bag either.

 

“This’ll do!” Hanji said cheerily, posing. “Should we style my hair or something?”

 

“Sorry Hanji,” Nanaba said, holding up a strip of cloth she had pulled out of the closet. “Hair styling is definitely beyond me, I haven’t had long hair since I was six. Is this a bow tie?”

 

Gerger peered at the cloth. “Oh, that’s where that one went,” he muttered. “Yeah. Hanji, c’mere and I’ll tie it for you.”

 

“How come you, the manliest between the three of us, have the nicest clothes?” Hanji joked, though she knew the answer already.

 

“Because _I_ have to sell myself as well as my beer,” Gerger replied, tying the bow tie on with surprising ease. “You build things so being dirty is just part of the image. Nanaba just has to open her mouth, doesn’t matter what she looks like, she can talk her way through anything.”

 

“Gerger, if I didn’t know you better, I’d think you just insulted me,” Nanaba said, eyes narrowed.

 

“It’s a compliment, honest,” Gerger said, waving off the clare. “Anyway, want a ride there? It’s already four, I can just drop you off.”

 

Hanji twisted her face into an expression of exaggerated relief. “Oh _guys_ ,” she wailed, flopping her arms around her friends. “What would I _ever_ do without you?”

 

“Show up in your welding jacket and scare your date off, probably,” Gerger said, grinning.

 

\-----------------------

 

The competition was held in the ballroom of a university on the north side of the city, making Hanji grateful for Gerger’s offer of a ride since his apartment was on the south side. As she walked down the hallways while following convenient signs, she realized two things.

 

‘ _I forgot to eat,’_ she sighed. ‘ _And Levi didn’t tell me where to meet him. Inside or outside the ballroom?’_

 

She didn’t have to worry about finding Levi. As she rounded a corner, she found a cluster of extremely well-dressed people milling about in front of the ballroom. Off to the side was Levi, Eren, and Annie. Levi was, true to his word, wearing a suit, and even a fashion ignorant person like Hanji could tell he had it custom fitted. It fit his build perfectly, had crisp lines, and a sharply folded bow tie. He had even parted his hair a little further to the right than usual, and slicked his bangs off to the side.

 

_‘Ah,’_ Hanji’s thought processes stuttered. _‘He hot. Much hot. Yes. Wow.’_

 

Eren spotted her first. “Hi Miss Hanji!” he called, waving at her. He was also dressed in a suit, though it wasn’t as fitted as Levi’s and he wore a green colored shirt under the jacket. Hanji suspected that his hair had been combed and gelled at some point to lay flat, but it was already beginning to revolt against the gel.

 

Annie was as straight-faced as ever. Her blonde hair was in the bun style she wore the first time Hanji had seen her, with her long bangs covering part of her face. There was a pretty green flowered pin attached to her bun, however, and it matched the sparkly green dress she wore. The dress itself looked like a figure skater’s, with a swimsuit looking cut and a sheer, fluttering skirt. On her feet were matching shoes with low heels.

 

“Hey!” Hanji greeted them, noting that Levi didn’t bat an eye at her appearance. She must have succeeded in not looking like a shabby pauper at a ball. “Wait, did you just call me ‘Miss’?”

 

“Uh, yeah, why?” Eren asked, frowning. “Was I wrong for saying that?”

 

Hanji reached up to cup Eren’s cheeks with both hands and looked at Levi. “Are you sure I can’t keep him?” she pleaded, as Eren squirmed in her grasp.

 

“I’m sure,” Levi replied flatly, moving away from the wall.

 

He started walking towards the ballroom entrance, and they followed him. Hanji handed her ticket to a person at the door, while Eren and Annie split way to join what appeared to be other competitors judging by the sparkling dresses. The ballroom itself was divided into chaired sections with the middle part of the floor left clear. A small ensemble of musicians was perched to one side, playing light-hearted music as the attendees chatted.

 

Levi was heading to larger of the chaired sections facing the open space, but was stopped by a petite woman with pale blonde hair, glasses, and a simple, black dress.

 

“Levi!” she called. “So the rumor was true, you do teach now.”

 

“Rico,” Levi nodded in a curt greeting. “You’re at one of Nile’s places, right?”

 

“Yes, Nile Dawk Dance Academy,” Rico replied. “Which ones are your’s?”

 

“The brats in green,” Levi said. Hanji thought he was beginning to look tense.

 

“Ah, I see,” Rico said. Her tone of voice was flat and disinterested despite being the one asking the questions. Her sharp gaze turned to Hanji, and looked her up and down. “Who’s this? New dance partner?”

 

Hanji opened her mouth to respond, but Levi cut in, saying, “No, I don’t compete anymore. Just teach and coach.”

 

“I’m a student!” Hanji butted in, earning a glare from Levi. “Name’s Hanji, I was recently appointed Box Step Master.”

 

Rico shook Hanji’s hand quickly and with a very loose grip, but Hanji ignored the slight, opting to smile politely instead.

 

“If you will excuse me,” Rico said, and walked away to get the attention of a passing man.

 

Next to Hanji, Levi grumbled something about “hasn’t changed” and “mercy on her students”, and attempted to resume the trek to the seats. Hanji remained silent; even if she had questions about the grumpy woman with a history with Levi, she wouldn’t ask them.

 

_‘If it’s something I need to know, it’ll come out eventually,’_ she reasoned. _‘I’m not one to talk when it comes to the past, either.’_

 

An announcer called for an invitation to an open dance for all attendees as a way to start the evening, and Hanji grabbed Levi’s arm just as they reached the chairs.

 

“Hey! Want to dance?” Hanji asked, grinning broadly.

 

His eyes narrowed and his scowl returned, but he sighed and conceded with a “Fine.” He let Hanji lead him back through the people to the dance area. However, Hanji realized a problem when they reached the floor and her arms bumped his when she lifted them for the frame.

 

“Ah,” Hanji said, then laughed. “Who’s gonna lead?”

 

Levi blinked, realizing the same thing she did. He looked like he struggled with internal conflict, then stated, “You can’t do the box step backwards, can you.”

 

“Nope!” Hanji said, wiggling her fingers at him to tell him to come closer. “I _may_ have exaggerated the title of “master”, just a bit.”

 

“Ugh, fine.” Levi stepped into Hanji’s space and took her hand while allowing her to place her other on his shoulder blade. “Hand is too low,” he muttered, and she adjusted accordingly.

 

Heart pounding at the sudden change of events, Hanji boldly took a step forward. Levi matched her and stepped backwards, head straight but eyes cast down in fear of Hanji’s feet, though they couldn’t actually be seen between the closeness of their bodies. He didn’t have to worry; while Hanji had to briefly overcome the fact that physically, Levi was not Mina, she slipped the pair into a box step with general ease.

 

_‘He smells like soap,’_ she thought, carefully stepping as to not bump other dancers, many of which were dancing what was probably a waltz. _‘And not that gross “man soap” either, like actual soap.’_

 

To her dismay, while Hanji was doing a swell job at the box step, they weren’t in time with the music at all. To his credit, Levi didn’t mention it; in fact, Hanji watched his eyes dart in every direction but to her face.

 

At first, she let him stare elsewhere, while she in turn stared at him. She took in every detail of his face. The dark smudges under his eyes, she decided, were probably due to his complexion and not his lifestyle. She watched as his eyes darken as they danced under a spotlight, and brightened when they left the pool of light. While his body was broad, his face was small and delicate. Under one of her hands was a muscular shoulder and in the other, a large hand with a strong grip. The arm that laid across her own was warm.

 

_‘Alrighty, enough of that,’_ Hanji thought, a faint smirk making it’s way onto her lips. _‘Now look at me.’_

 

She pressed forward with more force than before, making Levi’s eyes snap to her’s. Having only learned the box step, triple step, and as of the last class, the rock step, Hanji could do no more than step around in a tight circle. She remembered, however, Lynne’s demonstration with Levi, and started dropping her knee and hip with each step in a lively movement.

 

Levi, being the follow, could only reject or comply, and she was pleased to see him allow the change of pace. He stayed silent, but now his attention was on her and his eyes bored into her own. Hanji figured it was supposed to be intimidating, but she stared back at him without backing down.

 

They continued wordlessly like this for the last few seconds of the song, and when the music ended, they slowly broke away.  Hanji missed his presence already and didn’t want to let go of his hand, but she did and they left the dance area to finally claim a seat. Hanji was practically humming as the announcer began introducing the competitor’s sponsors and judges.

 

“So how’s this work?” Hanji asked Levi in a whisper.

 

“This is a theater arts competition,” Levi said. “Typically in dancesport couples dance all at once in rounds, but in this style, they dance one at a time. Dancesport is really complex with a lot of rules I’m not gonna get into. Just know that the judges are the old farts behind the table, and there’s a lot of criteria they’re looking for.

 

“This specific competition is for local  youth who are just entering the dancesport scene, so there aren’t many competitors. This’ll be over in two rounds, with a first, second, and third place winner.”

 

“Ok, I think I got this,” Hanji said, clapping with the crowd and the announcer concluded the introduction. “Oh! What’re the rules on applause?”

 

Levi nodded in approval of her question. “It’s allowed, and so is cheering. It’s not a play, but it’s not a football game either, so no hollering in my ear.”

 

“Gotcha!” Hanji was beginning to get quite excited. Outside of the rare field trip in her primary school days, she hadn’t seen many live performances.While she didn’t know Eren or Annie very well, she commended them for picking up an activity that wasn’t common for their age group and even took it to a competing level.

 

And dancesport turned out to be serious business.

 

As a novice, Hanji couldn’t appreciate the technical aspects of the dancers’ routines, but she was deeply impressed by the amount of physical effort as she watched young girls bend into pretzels and young men spin and left them over their heads. Hanji was completely taken in by the performances, and joined in with the cheering despite herself. Next to her, she was vaguely aware of Levi clapping politely after each routine.

 

“Those are probably Rico’s students,” he said, as the  next couple took the floor. “The boy has the same stink face that she does.”

 

Hanji snorted, though she thought the kid had a charming smile filled with confidence he probably was entitled to. He had a stylish haircut and was rather tall, while his partner was a pretty Asian girl. Their attire had a red and black color scheme with Spanish influences, and the girl had a large red rose in her hair. They proceeded to dance in what Hanji overheard as being a salsa.

 

“Well, they’re not horrible,” Levi grumbled. “They’re a little overdramatic and the boy looks like he’s got a stick up his-”

 

Hanji elbowed him. There was an elderly couple on either side of them and while Hanji was pretty sure they had personalities as pretentious as their wallets were fat, if she was being on her best behaviour then so should he.

 

_‘Besides, we gotta make Eren and Annie look good,’_  Hanji thought, clapping as the pair she was just thinking about took the floor.

 

Familiar music came over the ballroom’s speakers. Eren immediately earned an applause with the first lift, Annie’s dress a green blur as she swung down and into a kneeling pose. It was the same routine that Hanji had seen Levi and Eren dance to, and then later, Eren and Annie, but even this third time felt like a different dance. Annie’s face was no longer expressionless; she was actually smiling coyly at Eren and was staring at him with romantic passion.

 

“See, easy to fake,” Levi was heard muttering.

 

Hanji was still surprised by the change of mood, thought, and she had an inkling that Eren was as well. They boy had the barest hint of a flush on his tan cheeks at the start of the routine as Annie played up the act of two lovers lost in each other. As the pair continued to dance, the blush disappeared, and Hanji decided that there was little acting left in the performance.

 

Hanji joined in with the cheers at the final complex maneuvers of the routine, and fought the urge to get out of her seat. Levi didn’t yell, but his clapping was a little more energetic than before and there was smug expression on his face.

 

When the rounds ended, there were a few moments of background music and discussion amongst spectators as judges compiled notes.

 

“We will now announce the participants for Round Two,” said the announcer.  He named five couples, including Rico’s, and then said, “-and couple number nine, Eren and Annie!”

 

Hanji gave in and stood up to cheer while clapping furiously. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw she was joined by three other people, probably the parents.

 

“What happens next?” Hanji asked Levi as she sat back down.

 

“They dance another routine,” Levi said, crossing his arms. “Then the judges announce the winners.”

 

The second round performances were just as amazing than the first rounds’, if not more. Rico’s students had a tiny error; Hanji saw the boy’s grip on his partner falter, so that they couldn’t perform a lift all the way through. As the pair walked away,  Hanji could see the boy trying to console the girl, though it was his error.

 

Eren and Annie’s second performance wasn’t as flashy as the first. Levi grumbled something about Eren wanting to start as strong as possible, which Hanji found interesting because she had assumed Levi had coordinated everything about their performances. The routine was another tango, but it was slower paced and more intimate. Annie’s demeanor was as expressive as before, and this time, Eren seemed more comfortable with her. Hanji cheered as they concluded the routine and left the floor for judging.

 

Hanji gripped the edges of her seat. “Ohhh man, I hope they win!” she said, eyes on the announcer.

 

Levi grunted, but he was staring at the judges just as intently.

 

“After careful discussion, we will now announce the winners,” began the announcer. “The third place prize, a scholarship for 200 dollars, goes to couple number nine, Eren and Annie!”

 

Hanji ignored Levi’s earlier warning, and hollered, loudly.

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shots are fired, dinner is had, and Levi gets a taste of Hanji's thought process.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUYS I HAVE [FANART](http://glitchikinnsblog.tumblr.com/post/87336691962).
> 
> Also, I know my chapters are short and this is has been one heckuva slow build fic, but I hope everyone will continue to be patient with me. Thank you all for the comments and notes on Tumblr!

Levi leaned back in his chair with a deep exhale. He hadn’t even realized he was holding his breath or leaning forward; it was probably Hanji’s fault. Her excitement over the entire competition was almost contagious. On the dance floor, Eren and Annie were accepting their prize. Eren wore a huge, giddy grin, and his hair was completely free of the styling gel’s restraining grasp. Annie had returned to her usual flat expression.

 

Overall, their routines had been performed flawlessly, even under Levi’s nitpicking gaze. He allowed himself to feel a small measure of pride in his students.

 

‘ _If only he had saved “Roxanne” for the second round, they might’ve taken first,’_ Levi considered. ‘ _But it was his decision. And third is good for their first competition.’_

 

The announcer continued, and Rico’s students didn’t place. Levi pushed back the dark feeling of satisfaction; he knew he didn’t actually beat Rico, for the competition was about the students, not the instructors, no matter their past history together.

 

_‘Eren deserves this,’_ Levi thought, clapping politely for the other winners. _‘He’s come a long way since we first met.’_

 

The competition’s ceremonies came to an end, and Levi and Hanji rose to join Eren and Annie. Levi saw Rico heading his way, and he scowled.

 

_‘Ugh, she just can’t let things drop,’_ he thought, waving at Hanji to go on without him. Out loud, he said to Rico, “Your students performed well.”

 

“Jean needs to quit treating his partner like a delicate flower,” Rico scoffed. The level of annoyance she displayed on her pretty face suggested it was an ongoing problem with the boy. “Mikasa is ready to trust him, but he’s afraid to even touch her.”

 

“He’ll get over it,” Levi said, deliberately sounding bored. “Teenagers and their stupid hormones, and all that crap.”

 

“Your students performed well, too,” Rico continued. She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes, a posture that Levi was familiar with, like Rico was an animal about to attack. Sure enough, she said, “Though they were a little crude and rough, but it’s what I’d expect from someone like you teaching them.”

 

There it was, the tiger in the grass. Levi glared at her for taking the shot at his students, but he knew she wasn’t done.

 

“Speaking of crude, was that your other ‘student’ yelling so loudly?” Rico crossed her arms, a condescending smirk on her face. “Seems like your standards have dropped, Levi. If you were trying to make me jealous, it sure didn’t work.”

 

Levi was in her space in a blink, a cold mask on his face. Recognizing Levi’s honest anger, Rico stepped back defensively.

 

“My standards dropped when I decided to do more than the rumba with you,” Levi said, voice low and seething. “I’m here for my students, not for you.”

 

He turned and walked away without another word to Rico. When he looked up, he saw that Hanji, instead of going to Annie and Eren, had been standing nearby. He was sure she overheard the entire conversation, but she said nothing and they walked over to Eren and Annie in silence.

 

‘ _Ignore Rico, don’t think about it,’_ Levi thought, brushing away Rico’s insults. Had they not been in a public space, Levi was completely sure that Rico would have been much harsher on Hanji. He had danced and dated Rico for three years; he knew her as well as she knew him. _‘Just get through this evening.’_

 

“Eren, Annie,” Levi said, reaching his students. “Good job. You did well.”

 

“Th-thank you, sir!” Eren stammered, face lighting up in a mixture of genuine surprise and joy at the rare compliment. Levi was scared for a moment that the boy would hug him, and also a little scared that he might not have rejected it. Annie’s face looked smug on the surface, but Levi knew she was feeling rightfully proud of herself.

 

“Eren, congratulations!” A woman with long brown hair rushed over and embraced Eren tightly. “You and Annie were so beautiful out there! I’m so proud of you!”

 

As Eren tried to fend off his mother, another man and woman walked over. Levi had met Eren’s parents, Carla and Dr. Grisha Jaeger, prior to the competition, but not the other woman.

 

“Hi, I’m Samantha, Annie’s mother,” the petite, blonde woman introduced herself. “Thank you so much for being Annie’s instructor. I’ve never seen her so happy!”

 

‘ _Neither have I,’_ Levi thought, and said, “I didn’t do anything except teach.” He was beginning to feel uncomfortable; the polite facade he had worn all evening was starting to chafe at him, and he was never used to being praised.

 

“We’re going to eat dinner here on campus,” Carla said, still attached to her embarrassed son. “Would you like to join us?”

 

Levi had already eaten, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hanji attempting to make herself inconspicuous to stay out of the group’s way. When he met her eyes, she flinched and looked away guiltily.

 

“Sure,” he said, with an inward sigh of defeat.

 

\------------------

 

The “restaurant” was little more than a cafeteria given a fancy name, but the place was clear of loud, obnoxious college students and had a tolerable noise level. Hanji lavished praise on Eren and Annie the whole way there, with Carla and Samantha tripling the sentiments. Grisha looked like he’d rather be in bed, but sometimes Levi caught a soft look of pride on the older man’s tired face.

 

“So, Hanji, was it?” Carla asked as the group seated themselves at two tables pushed together.

 

“Yep, that’s me, at your service!” Hanji replied, popping a mock salute.

 

“Are you a student of Levi’s too, or…?” Carla trailed off.

 

Levi decided to ignore the way Eren perked up at the question and focused on the little menu that a young waiter had left them. As a menu clearly designed for events held on campus, it was brief and held only soup, salad, and three meal options.

 

“Almost!” Hanji said. Levi wondered if she was deliberately being ambiguous because she was dense or because she wasn’t sure if this was a date or not. Levi wasn’t sure, either. “I’m just about done with the basics class, which Levi doesn’t teach, but I’m getting there!”

 

Conversation paused as the waiter took their orders. Levi stuck with water, and he noticed that, while everyone else ordered one of the meals, Hanji asked for the salad and nothing else.

 

_‘I thought she was hungry,’_ Levi thought, frowning. _‘She better not be one of those girls that can’t eat normally in front of dates.’_

 

“Where do you go to school?” Eren asked Hanji.

 

“Sina Tech,” Hanji replied. “I’m a junior, majoring in mechanical engineering and doubling with either materials science engineering or electrical, I haven’t decided yet.”

 

While the parents muttered their awe over Hanji’s studies, Levi did some quick math in his head. _‘If she went to college straight from high school, that makes her, what, twenty? Twenty-one? Not too big an age difference, I guess,’_  he thought. He sipped his water as Grisha asked about what mechanical engineering entailed, and got an info dump in return.

 

“Hanji saw me dancing with Levi when he tested me on the sidewalk, Mom,” Eren broke into Hanji’s ramble, saving his dazed father. “She decided to try ballroom dancing after that.”

 

“Really?” Carla’s eyes, much like Eren’s if not for them being more hazel than green, sparkled. “I used to be a dancer myself! My specialty was International Standard, until I shattered my knee one winter.”

 

“Yeah, yeah,” Eren rolled his eyes. “And Dad was your doctor, and you two fell in love, and out came me.”

 

Hanji snickered as Carla gave her son a warning look, but Eren was saved by the arrival of food. There was a few minutesof food intake, and then Annie’s mother spoke up for the first time.

 

“What made you pick up ballroom dancing, Eren?” Samantha asked. So far, she had sat quietly like her daughter, but while Annie was taciturn, Samantha came across as shy and timid.

 

“I, uh,” Eren mumbled, dropping his gaze to his food. “Well, I didn’t like school for a while and—”

 

“He had too much energy for his own good,” Levi interrupted, also speaking for the first time since they sat down. “Mrs. Jaeger contacted my boss, and I became his dance instructor.”

 

“It’s such a shame that I busted my knee,” Carla sighed. “I knew Erwin Smith when he was still competing in the youth competitions. He grew up nicely, he’s so handsome now. I wouldn’t hesitate to put my dancing shoes back on if he asked me for a dance, even though I’m definitely out of practice now!”

 

“I’m sorry for having two left feet,” Grisha commented, but there was a hint of a smile on his face as Carla giggled and elbowed him playfully.

 

“So yes, I contacted Erwin looking for a suitable instructor,” Carla continued. “I heard he bought a couple of dance studios and that one was here in the city. Ballroom dancing requires a lot of strength and energy, but also respect, discipline, and trust between two dancers, so I felt that ballroom would be good for Eren.”

 

“I was your first student, right?” Eren said, looking at Levi for confirmation.

 

“Yes,” Levi answered, nodding. “The first for private lessons and my first for dancesport coaching, anyway.”

 

“You’ve done a wonderful job,” Carla said, beaming at Levi. “I don’t get phone calls from the school anymore, and while I’ve always thought about Eren taking up ballroom, I never thought he’d even take up dancesport!”

 

“Levi was a lot different back then, too,” Eren said hastily, trying to shift the attention off of himself. “He always frowned, like he was always constipated or something!”

 

Hanji tilted her head back to laugh, while Levi glared at Eren.

 

“See, like that!” Eren pointed with his finger and got his hand slapped by Carla.

 

“Stop, that’s rude,” his mother chided him. “Levi was just as polite back then as he is tonight.”

 

This earned her a look from Eren, a mix of disbelief and horror. Levi’s glare intensified and Hanji laughed again.

 

“Dr. Jaeger is asleep,” Annie announced, her voice making all at the table turn to see Grisha jerk his head up.

 

“Hm? Oh, I wasn’t,” he said, but his eyelids fluttered as he blinked away sleep.

 

“Sorry, Dad,” Eren said, grinning. “Thanks, though, for coming tonight.”

 

Eren and his parents shared a look between them. There was none of the tension that Levi used to see there two or three years ago, when there used to be angry shouts and a mother’s tears.

 

_‘Has it really been three years?’_ Levi thought, averting his gaze from the intimate family moment to drink the rest of his water. _‘I don’t think I’ve changed one bit, that brat.’_

 

“We should probably get going,” Carla said. “It’s nearly nine, and some of us here have school in the morning!”

 

A loud groan erupted not from Eren or Annie, but from Hanji.

 

“I have a morning class tomorrow,” Hanji explained, a look of pain on her face. “The professor ain’t so bad, but he absolutely hates Mondays. He used to be in the military, so for the whole first hour of class, he lines us up and just yells at us for like, an hour.”

 

Eren and Carla cringed, in synch as mother and son. Samantha, however, giggled.

 

“My husband was in the military,” she said. The sad look in her blue eyes and the past tense phrase told all. “I guess there were some things your professor couldn’t leave behind.”

 

“Well, he definitely left his hair back in the military,” Hanji muttered, but only Levi heard her as the group stood up to leave.

 

Levi stifled a snort, and she whipped her head around as he quickly resumed his blank face.

 

“I heard that!” she whispered, smirking.

 

He pretended he didn’t hear her.  


After the group headed outside of the university building, the parents and their kids began heading towards the parking lot while Hanji stayed at the building entrance to wait for her ride.

 

“Hey, Eren!” Hanji yelled after the boy before they got far. “We fire the rockets on November 22!”

 

Levi, who still stood with Hanji, could see Eren’s excited face despite the darkness of the evening as the kid waved back and his mother started peppering him with questions.

 

“He’s a good kid,” Hanji commented, still smiling. “Annie too, she’s quiet but I get zero bad vibes off her.”

 

Levi grunted, having learned these things already after working with both kids for so long. _‘Should’ve seen them a year ago,’_ he thought. ‘ _Could barely get them to box step without Annie flipping Eren over his head.’_

 

They stood in silence for a moment, until Hanji started rocking back and forth on her heels and Levi began feeling more than a little awkward for still being there. Finally, he voiced a thought that had bothered him since the end of the competition.

 

“You overheard what Rico said to me, didn’t you,” Levi said. “But you haven’t said anything.”

 

“Oh?” Hanji stopped her rocking, which had intensified into a shuffle. “Why, did I miss a line in a script?”

 

“She insulted you,” he reminded her. “Aren’t you angry?”

 

“Levi, if I could handle three classes with Gail, I can handle that, and I’ve heard a lot worse,” Hanji said, hands on her hips and one of her eyebrows raised. “Plus, I know how to behave in a public setting, thank you very much. What are you getting at?”

 

“She’s my ex.” Levi hated saying that to anyone, that he failed at having a successful relationship. “Normally a person would ask questions, right?”

 

Or at least, that’s what Rico would have done, and Levi only had her as a baseline for comparison. Hanji, who was definitely turning out to not be Rico, surprised him with a throaty chuckle. His nerves bristled when she stepped close to him and her hand reached below his chin to tilt his face upwards. The shortened distance allowed him to see her eyes, which flashed eerily at him in the far-off light of a street lamp.

 

“Oh, I have questions,” Hanji said. Her low, husky voice clashed with the lopsided smile on her face. “Who is she, why does she act like that, is it only with you? Or is that how she’s like in general? Is that her natural hair color, probably not. She makes your shoulders really straight and you were really tense when she left the first time, it was a bad break-up. What happened, who broke it off, and why?”

 

She paused to breathe and Levi remained silent, knowing she wasn’t expecting answers from him.

 

“But I’m holding back, you know, because we barely know each other, and I don’t want to screw up for once,” Hanji said, lowering her hand from his chin. “Don’t worry, though, most of my questions are about you, not her. I don’t really concern myself with who people were dating before they got to me.”

 

“What kind of questions?” Levi dared her, but he was genuinely curious. Her questions about Rico weren’t the ones he was expecting, and he wasn’t sure if he could even answer some of them them himself.

 

“I guess I can give you a little taste!” Hanji laughed, and then inhaled deeply before launching another gush of words. “You’re a dancer, you’ve got the body for it, but the way you act doesn’t match, you’re not from upper class, or at least, not right now you aren’t, so how’d you get into ballroom? You’re very rough with your words, too, remember when I tried to take your class? I was a stranger but also a customer and you spoke to me like we knew each other, why? You told me to take a bath in front of your coworkers, normal people don’t act like that, but you did it on purpose, to prove a point, which point? The way you danced that Friday, you downplayed your performance, I could tell because even a ballroom ignorant like me could see that you had skill but you didn’t play it up at all, you held back, but then you met my eyes and you _smirked_ at me, I saw that, but what did _you_ see that made you push back at me? And don’t even get me started on your dancing because you and I both know — and I know that you know, I’m on to you — that I took up dancing so that I could dance with you.”

 

She took a couple of breaths, and then dipped her head lower. Even though her hand wasn’t below his chin anymore, he still looked up at her, refusing to back down even though his head was screaming to step back. Her breath was hot and he could smell the salad dressing on it; it must have been Italian, since it smelled of vinegar.

 

“And you want to dance with me too,” she said, grin back in place. From here, he could see that her teeth were thick and only a little crooked on the bottom row. “You like that I’m chasing after you, don’t you? But you’re a bit of a perfectionist, you like things neat and tidy, so if I’m gonna dance, you want me to do it right.”

 

“I don’t dance with bumbling idiots,” Levi said, refusing to admit that she was right but failing. _‘She nailed me with “perfectionist”.’_

 

“Well, good thing I’m not an idiot,” Hanji said, stepping away from him as a car approached the university's circle drive. “I just need to learn how to dance!”

 

The car pulled up to the curb and Hanji got in with a last-minute wave goodbye. Levi watched the car drive away, but even though Hanji was sure to be watching him, he didn’t budge. Her presence had felt like a weight in his close proximity, and after she left it, he almost felt too light, and dizzy. When he finally made it to his own car, he got the machine running without his usual tirade of curses.

 

_‘That woman is nuts,’_ Levi thought. _‘I must be losing it too, because I think I actually_ **like** _her.’_

 

\------------------

 

Levi liked jogging. The city had several trail routes and he regularly made use of them as a way of letting out steam and sorting his thoughts. And today, he definitely needed to sort his thoughts.

 

He started by performing some light stretches by his parked car. The morning air was crisp, so while he wore shorts, he also wore a hoodie. The park he had chosen today was closer to the outskirts of the city, so while the day was sunny and the trees were still clinging fiercely to their leaves, the paths were clear of any other Monday morning joggers. He left his car and started a brisk walking pace.

 

_‘I couldn’t sleep at all last night,’_  Levi thought grumpily. _‘Furball puked on the couch and I couldn’t get that blasted woman out of my head.’_

 

He inhaled deeply, then shifted into a jog.

 

_‘Aside from Eren and Annie’s performance, it went well enough last night, I guess,’_ he thought, thinking about his time with Hanji the night before. _‘Rico turned out to be there, but Hanji did ok. She didn’t even show up in a T-shirt.’_

 

Hanji hadn’t looked half bad. Her hair could use a trim to even the ends, but he had noticed it was thick and freshly washed. Hanji’s words about him telling her to bathe echoed in his head, and he winced.

 

_‘Ok, maybe I was pushing it,’_ he admitted. _‘But poor hygiene is a pet peeve of mine. And even then, I wanted to make it clear that I’m not some smooth-talking fancy-pants dancer that takes any lady that fawns over him.’_

 

Erwin Smith’s portrait from the dance academy came to mind and Levi made an ugly face.

 

‘ _Ugh. Well, at any rate, she still came back, so at least she has a spine.’_ Levi remembered the first encounter with Rico and snorted. ‘ _And guts. Feh, Box Step Master, please.’_

 

His line of thinking continued to the actual box step with Hanji, and he slipped into a faster speed. As he jogged down the tree-lined path, he relived the dance in his head. At first, he had avoided eye contact with Hanji, feeling awkward for dancing the follow suddenly with someone he had never danced with before. The only person he danced with as the follow was with Eren and the occasional male student that needed extra assistance, and those don’t count.

 

_‘And I haven’t had a regular dance partner since Rico,’_ Levi thought. _‘It was...nice._ ’

 

Hanji was taller than him, but after having more than a decade to get over his height issue, Levi wasn’t bothered by it, and instead had felt like she had been a good fit. He had always chosen dance partners that were his height or shorter, but mostly because they were easier for him to lift above his head.

 

There would be no lifting Hanji. He still wondered how strong she was; during the dance, he had felt her arms against his, and held his hand within her own. Her palm was rough and dry, he realized. It was probably a good thing he didn’t see her fingernails; they were probably in poor shape if she worked with machinery and tools a lot.

 

_‘She definitely has a spine, pushing me around like that,’_ Levi huffed, thinking about the change of pace Hanji set.

 

He slowed his own pace a little, to recover his breath. While dancing with Hanji, he had seen that look on her face again, the one he saw that Friday when she watched him dance. He shivered, and picked up his pace again.

 

_‘Now I know why. She wasn’t just watching me, she was **studying** me.’ _ Levi wasn’t sure how he felt about it. _‘What if she gets bored with me? I’m not that complex, and she’s already got me half pegged.’_

 

Hanji, for all her weirdness, was still easy to read for the most part. Even during routines by other competitors, she was still taken in by them, and her claps and cheers were all genuine. Eren, who at first found ballroom to be boring, took a while to appreciate it. She was taking it seriously without any prejudice, and was even willing to invite Levi to a dance with her limited repertoire of steps.

 

_‘Last time I got close to someone, it didn’t work out. Rico got jealous easily, and it blew up in our faces,’_ he thought. _‘Hanji is different, but I’m not, I’m still the same person. Do I really want to try this again?’_

 

Regardless of his own doubts, it was clear that Hanji was gunning for him, and he couldn’t deny it anymore; he was interested in her as well. Hanji was a strange new creature to him with her sloppy appearance, unorthodox desire to dance the lead, and that weird, intense focus he saw occasionally. She was energetic and excitable, but there were glimpses of something else, hints that maybe she was like him and had a past that wasn’t entirely clean.

 

_‘I tried to make her jealous, and she laughed at me.’_ Levi started jogging again. _‘She showed up to class in steel-toed boots. She’s genuinely interested in ballroom dancing. She sees right through me, but she’s still sticking around.’_

 

Levi remembered the way her eyes sparkled and how they looked almost red last night, lit only by street lamps. He remembered the line of her neck when she tilted her head back to laugh. Her mind was as sharp as her eyes; Levi didn’t know anything about engineering, but the woman was building a rocket and he was certain it wasn’t a rocket kit from a hobby store.

 

Levi groaned.

  
‘ _Fine. I’ll give her a chance.’_


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hanji meets some new people and Levi does a rumba.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay again, some family stuff set me back a bit and I put in extra effort to make this chapter longer than usual. :)

On Tuesday, Hanji asked Nanaba to help her practice, but there wasn’t enough room for the rock step and triple step  in Hanji’s dorm room so they practiced in one of the campus buildings.

 

“If you keep practicing with me,” Nanaba said. “I’ll be able to ballroom dance without even taking classes.”

 

“But you’ll miss out on the hot instructors,” Hanji responded, leaning into Nanaba as Nanaba rocked back on her heel.

 

“True, but I’ll also avoid putting up with middle-aged windbags,” Nanaba countered, rocking forward to make Hanji rock back. “You know, you got this step and the triple step down much faster than the box step.”

 

“Guess I just had to remember how to move my legs instead of my arms and hands,” Hanji laughed.

 

“How are you holding up in your classes, by the way?” asked Nanaba as Hanji switched them to the triple step.

 

“Well enough,” Hanji replied, shrugging. “Mid-terms are about to slam us to Jupiter and back, but I’ve got this. I’m definitely glad I’m only pulling twenty credits this semester, I would have died if it was twenty-four like last semester.”

 

“You seem a lot happier these days, too,” Nanaba agreed. “I remember freshman year, it took forever for me to get you to go out with me and Gerger.”

 

“Heh, yeah, that was a rough year for me,” Hanji said. She changed their pace into a box step. Hanji no longer needed the tape on the floor, and she was rather proud of herself for it.

 

“So, when are you gonna spill about Sunday?” Nanaba asked. “You’ve been awfully quiet about it. I should’ve gone with Gerger to pick you up.”

 

Hanji grinned. “I didn’t wanna talk your ear off about Levi. Plus, I stayed in the lab late last night, I didn’t get in until about midnight.”

 

“Then I’ll just ask the more important questions,” Nanaba said. “First, since it _was_ a competition for his students, did they win?”

 

“Yup!” Hanji reverted back to the rock step. “Eren and Annie took third! The other dancers were amazing, too. Dancesport is actually really fierce, apparently.”

 

“Do you want to compete?” Nanaba asked.

 

“Nah, probably not, my goal this whole time is to dance with Levi so-OH!” Hanji stopped their dancing to shake Nanaba’s arms up and down with excitement. “I got to dance with him! I could only do the box step of course, but I danced with him as the lead, too!”

 

“Oh yeah?” Nanaba’s eyes twinkled as she grinned at Hanji’s excitement. “You didn’t step on his toes?”

 

“Nope!” Hanji took up the frame again. “It was _so_ awesome, though. He’s really muscular, and he smelled nice, and his hair looked really soft too, I wonder if he uses special-”

 

“Whoa, I see what you mean now,” Nanaba interrupted, laughing. “You’re rambling. So what else happened? You didn’t look out of place in Gerger’s blazer, did you?”

 

Hanji shrugged, and started the box step in a circular pattern. “Sort of, but not so much. Levi didn’t say anything, so I count it as a success. His ex though, she-”

 

“Wait, ex?” Nanaba cut in again. “His ex was there? How’d you know she was an ex?”

 

“Yeah, another instructor. Short like him, pretty, but _really_ snooty,” Hanji rolled her eyes. “She was really rude to Levi on a personal level, so I knew right away they had history, and he told me later that she was an ex.”

 

“He told you? So you didn’t ask him a million questions?” Nanaba knew Hanji well enough by now.

 

“I didn’t ask! I tried to behave for once,” Hanji replied. She stopped their dancing again, recalling Sunday’s events. “He wanted to know why I _didn’t_ ask, actually, and wanted to know a bit of what I thought. So I gave him a...sampler, kinda, some of my questions about him.”

 

“Oh, you mean that thing you did to Gerger once?” Nanaba snorted. “Gerger called you Sherlock Holmes for weeks after that.”

 

“Yes, the Sherlock thing, but remember, _he_ asked for it, so I only delivered!” Hanji giggled. “Ah, I’m so excited! I really think he’s interested in me, Nanaba. Nah, I know it! He didn’t reject me at all that night. I got to dance with him, had dinner with Eren and Annie’s family, and I didn’t spook him with my insane genius.”

 

“I’d have to agree,” Nanaba said. “He’s had plenty of time to see what you’re like, so if he’s still hanging around, he must not mind you at all.” She tousled Hanji’s bangs. “Did he kiss you? Gerger said it looked like you two kissed.”

 

“No, no kissing,” Hanji snickered, knowing what really transpired. “I had wondered why Gerger was shooting me those smug looks on the way back.”

 

“Do you want him to kiss you?” Nanaba asked her voice half song as she swung an arm around Hanji’s shoulders playfully.

 

Multiple images came to Hanji’s mind, and not all of them involved kissing.

 

“Let’s just say I don’t mind the height difference at aaaall,” Hanji laughed, reaching her arm around Nanaba and making them stagger around with giggles and goofy grins. “And that I can’t wait to dance with him again!”

 

\----------------------

When Hanji’s class arrived at Red Shoes for the final basics session, there was a pair of dancers already dancing in the studio. As a female singer crooned romantic lyrics, Hanji stood with the rest of the class by the door and watched.

 

Both dancers were female. One looked like a beautiful angel; she was petite, had golden hair with large, blue eyes, and pale skin. Her dress was long and white, with a fluffy skirt that swirled above dainty white heels. Her dance partner was the opposite, with a freckled, tan complexion and black hair. She wore a suit with coattails and it looked like the dark dancer was even taller than Hanji.

 

“This is Ymir and Christa,” Lynne said to her class.”They’re students from a different Red Shoes location. They’re in town for an International Standard competition tomorrow.”

 

“The one down at festival hall? That’s a championship level, they can’t be _that_ good,” Gail huffed. Her face had been a sour ball since arriving to class and Hanji was completely sure it was because it was a same-sex couple dancing.

 

“Ymir and Christa hold three championship titles already,” Lynne calmly replied. She raised an eyebrow at Gail’s scoff. “I can’t list their other titles. They’ve been dominating the Standard scene ever since they started dancesport a couple years ago.”

 

Oblivious to the conversation, the dancers continued to twirl around the room in dazzling circles. The routine consisted of lots of spinning; Lynne had told the class that it was a waltz. The frame looked a little different than what Hanji was used to. The blond was leaning away from her partner at the shoulder, with her head nearly a 45 degree angle to her shoulders. While she looked away from her partner to the side, her partner, who still stood straight like usual, looked in the opposite direction.

 

 _‘There’s a lot of trust and synchronization between them,’_ Hanji thought, watching the dancers intently. _‘How’s her neck not hurting from holding it like that? Amazing…’_

 

Every now and then, the two women would dip slightly, with the blonde raising a leg or changing her head position. As they swung by the class, Hanji noticed that despite the gap between their faces, the two were totally wrapped up in each other, one in focus and dance. It was as if the class wasn’t even there.

 

 _‘They’re really skilled,’_ Hanji thought. _‘I’d trip all over that dress, regardless if I was the one wearing it or not._ ’

 

As the routine drew to an end, Hanji wondered how  much more she needed to learn to _really_ dance with Levi.

 

 _‘That level of trust isn’t something I could get from him right away,’_ she sighed. _‘I can’t be impatient! But maaan, do I want to make him feel that way with me...’_

 

As the two dancers twirled to a final dip, the dark-haired one stole a quick kiss from her partner, who squeaked a startled “Ymir!” and smacked her on the arm. Ymir grinned impishly at her as she bowed with an exaggerated flair. Hanji didn’t even look at Gail as she joined the rest of the class in light applause.

 

“Sorry for taking up your class time, Lynne,” the blonde, Christa, said as she and Ymir walked over to the group.

 

“Don’t worry about it,” Lynne said cheerfully, hugging the dancer. “That was an excellent example of a waltz. I’m totally rooting for you two at the competition tomorrow!”

 

As the dancers left the studio, Lynne set the class up in a final check of the rock step to perky music. Hanji’s mind was on the waltz she just witnessed, and she nearly broke out in giggles at the thought of dipping Levi and stealing a kiss.

 

“So I heard you went with Levi to Eren and Annie’s competition,” Mina interrupted Hanji’s daydream. “Are you and Levi dating?”

 

“Oh, you’re friends with them?” Hanji said, laughing. “No, not yet, I think. Not sure.”

 

“You two would make quite the pair,” Mina said. “I’ve heard a lot of stories about Levi!”

 

“Ooo, what kind?” Hanji asked.

 

“He made Eren clean the studio once, after he got in a fight at school,” Mina said, then she started laughing. “But Levi couldn’t handle just watching him, so he wound up joining in and they ended up cleaning the _whole building_ instead.”

 

Hanji filed the information away as Lynne came over to assess their progress.

 

“Good job, you two!” Lynne applauded them. “Especially you, Hanji, we’ll make a dancer out of you yet!”

 

The class carried on without any other hitch. Lynne showed them how to apply the different steps to music and how to steer around other dancers on the dance floor. Hanji and Mina narrowly dodged Keiji and Gail a few times, making Gail sneer at them, but the older woman held her tongue. When the class came to an end, Lynne talked to the class about the next step in lessons.

 

“From here, you can either take Ballroom Basics Level Two, or more specific dance classes,” Lynne explained. “Our current classes at your level include Latin Level One, Ballroom Level One, or Waltz Level One.”

 

“Which one is Levi teaching?” Hanji asked, raising her hand.

 

“Latin One,” Lynne replied, winking at her.

 

 _‘Ah, she knows,’_ Hanji thought, but didn’t mind. _‘Well, not like I’m being subtle, heh.’_

 

“I’m gonna take Ballroom One,” Mina said. She looked at Hanji with some remorse. “Looks like you’ll need a new partner, sorry.”

 

“Hmph. Good luck,” Gail said, voice more than a little snide. “I don’t even know if I want to continue classes here. I’m finding this place very lacking in traditional values.”

 

“Excuse me, Lynne.” Before Hanji could retort, a tall man entered the studio, and Hanji immediately recognized him as the man from the portrait in the lobby. “I wanted to greet your class before it was dismissed,” he said. “Is that alright?”

 

“Sure!” Lynne chirped, her relief ill-disguised. “Everyone, this is Erwin Smith, owner of Red Shoes. He’s a professional dancesport competitor and also a coach. Ymir and Christa are actually two of his students.”

 

Hanji noted that Gail’s mouth had clamped shut and her face was flushed.

 

“First, thank you for choosing Red Shoes as a starting point to ballroom dancing,” Erwin began. He had movie star good looks, with styled blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. His posture was enough to make a soldier jealous, and while Hanji was pretty sure the suit he wore was considered a casual suit, it looked like it was worth a couple semesters’’ worth of meal plans at school.

 

“Ballroom dancing is a traditional art with a lot of history behind it,” Erwin continued. Gail made a small choking noise at the word “traditional”. “However, our goal at Red Shoes is to  make sure that ballroom can adapt to modern times so that it can live on and stay a cherished art form. Therefore, as thanks for your assistance, you will receive a discount on your next course should you continue taking lessons from Red Shoes.”

 

“Yahoo!” Hanji couldn’t contain her cheer. Gail looked at her in disgust, but Mina clapped her hands in shared delight.

 

The class was dismissed after that, but before Hanji could leave the room, Erwin stopped her.

 

“Are you Hanji?” he asked. When Hanji nodded, he shook her hand with a solid, confident grip. “I’d like to apologize for any negative atmosphere you might’ve witnessed here at Red Shoes. I work hard to make ballroom available to all types of people.”

 

“Oh, it’s nothing I’m not used to,” Hanji replied cheerfully. “I’m pretty headstrong when it comes to things I want.”

 

“Then I’m glad that ballroom is on your list,” Erwin said, smiling. “Have a good evening, Ms. Hanji.”

 

They left the studio and Erwin headed down the hall while Hanji walked to the lobby.

 

 _‘Wow, that man is a force to be reckoned with!’_ Hanji mused. She felt like she had just been scanned by a powerful computer. _‘He’s got sharp eyes, took all I could not to flinch, and I’m pretty stubborn. Definitely a powerful guy, better not mess with him. My list, though? Why does it feel like I just asked to date his daughter and needed his approval?’_

 

She broke out laughing at the thought of asking Erwin to date Levi, and startled Nifa behind the counter.

 

“Hi Hanji, signing up for another class?” Nifa asked.

 

“Yup! When is Latin One?” Hanji asked. _‘Please say Tuesdays or Thursdays, pleaaaase.’_

 

“Let’s see.” Nifa tapped her computer’s mouse a couple of times. “Tuesdays from 7 to 8:30, for four weeks. With Erwin’s discount, the price went from $55 to only $45. They start next Tuesday.”

 

“Yahoo! I’ll do it!” Hanji said, cheering again. Then she asked, “So, what’s Latin dance?”

 

\----------------------

 

Levi didn’t intend on avoiding Hanji when her Thursday class came around, but when he saw an expensive, black car parked behind the dance academy, he knew he’d be stuck at his desk the whole evening. He had given Eren and Annie the week off and his tango class wrapped up on Tuesday, so it was time to take care of paperwork, and with his boss at the academy, there’d be no fooling around with Hanji.

 

 _‘Eren’s already eager to learn a new routine,’_ Levi thought, waving an absentminded reply to Auruo’s greeting as Levi entered the back room. _‘They did well with performance but the closest competition is a bronze syllabus event —’_

 

Levi nearly collided with Erwin when he entered the office, and Levi frowned at the interruption of his thoughts.

 

“Oh, how I’ve missed your smile,” Erwin said dryly. “I haven’t seen you in, what, half a year, and that’s how you greet me?”

 

“I wish it had been longer,” Levi replied, ignoring Erwin’s open arms and walking to his desk. He knew Erwin hadn’t actually expected a hug anyway; the two men knew each other far too well for Erwin to expect any kind of affection from Levi.

 

“So what brings your ugly mug out here?” Levi asked, sitting down.

 

“Two of my students, Ymir and Christa, are here for a championship,” Erwin replied. “Congratulations, by the way, on Eren and Annie’s win. I’ve sent them a letter since I heard you gave them the week off, otherwise I’d tell them in person.”

 

Levi grunted. “If I’d known you’d be dropping by, I would’ve told them to come in,” he said, thinking about Eren’s mother. He pulled up a list of competitions in the area on his computer.

 

“I’ve heard some interesting things about Lynne’s basics class.” Erwin’s voice was smooth and even, and it made Levi freeze.

 

“What kind of things?” Levi asked. He refused to look at Erwin, but he didn’t bother to pretend to work. It wouldn’t work on Erwin.

 

“I received an email complaint from one of the students, something about an instructor being rude and the dance floor being tained by indecency and foot germs,” Erwin said. A genuine smile was on his lips, for they both knew which instructor the email referred to. “I thought that Gail left the academy?”

 

“Apparently she likes having a regularly scheduled gripe fest on Thursday evenings,” Levi growled.

 

“While I’m thankful for her not suing us after twisting her ankle in your class, I wish she hadn’t come back, to be honest. People like her are the poison to ballroom dancing.” Erwin’s smile had turned into a frown, something known to strike as much fear as one of Levi’s scowls, but it was fleeting. “Well, I’ll be taking care of that tonight. As for the dance floor, I already know that it’s been thoroughly cleaned.”

 

“I even assisted Auruo,” Levi agreed. “Besides, it was either that, or the floor get scuffed. Costs more to fix scuffs on hardwood than it does to clean foot germs.”

 

“Lynne told me that she wore steel-toed boots,” Erwin said, eyes on Levi, who couldn’t help but twitch at the reference to Hanji. “Seems like you’ve found another...interesting dance student.”

 

“If only they weren’t always so clumsy,” Levi muttered, trying to keep his face neutral as he attempted to assess how much Erwin knew about Hanji. _‘I thought I could trust Lynne, but Erwin is too good at the people game. There’s only so much you can hide from him before he tricks you into telling him yourself.’_

 

“If they weren’t clumsy,” Erwin chuckled. “they wouldn’t really need instructors, now would they?”

 

He left, and Levi could hear the door to Erwin’s office open and close. Faint music came from one of the studios, so Ymir and Christa were probably rehearsing. Judging by the papers left on Lynne’s desk, Lynne was watching them. Levi sighed and rubbed his eyes, wishing the evening was over already.

 

Despite his concerns, Levi’s evening went mostly unbothered by Erwin, who only stepped in once to offer a suggestion as to which competition to aim for. By the time Hanji’s class was to end, Levi had worked up a couple of different dance routine options and a rough teaching plan for one of his two upcoming classes. He put his pen down and looked up just as Erwin walked past the office and was heard entering Lynne’s class.

 

Curious, Levi got up and quietly stood by the studio’s door to eavesdrop. He smirked as Erwin subtly put Gail in her place without the old bag even knowing it. As the class was dismissed and filed out, Lynne snickered upon seeing Levi standing by the door.

 

“She’s taking your Latin class,” Lynne whispered, nudging him with her elbow on her way by.

 

“I know,” Levi replied, smugly. _‘It’s the only class at her level that I’m teaching.’_

 

Hanji herself did not exit the studio, and neither did Erwin. Levi frowned and leaned closer to the door to hear Erwin speaking to Hanji.

 

“Oh, it’s nothing I’m not used to,” Hanji was heard saying. “I’m pretty headstrong when it comes to things I want.”

 

“Then I’m glad that ballroom is on your list,” Erwin said. “Have a good evening, Ms. Hanji.”

 

Levi took the cue to dash back to the studio office and sit at his desk. Lynne muffled her laughter behind her hand, and he glared fiercely at her.

 

 _‘That dumb four-eyes, he definitely knows now,’_ Levi groaned to himself. _‘I’ll never hear the end of it.’_

 

However, Erwin walked past the office without even glancing inside, and was heard entering his office.

 

“I didn’t tell him anything!” Lynne whispered to Levi.

 

He glared at her anyway.

 

\----------------------

 

Hanji felt more confident before her new Latin class than she did before her attempt to tango. As she got off the city bus, she reviewed what Nifa had told her about the class.

 

 _‘Nifa said that International Latin consists of the samba, rumba, chacha, paso doble, and jive,’_ Hanji thought, ticking the dances off her fingers. ‘ _International Standard consists of the waltz, tango, Viennese waltz, foxtrot, and quickstep. She said there’s other dances, too. Ballroom is a really broad subject!’_

 

She sighed and entered Red Shoes. _‘I wish I had time to read up on the dances, so I could at least know what they are, but midterms are this week and I barely got time to sleep.’_

 

“Hi Hanji!”  Nifa greeted her. “Latin One is in studio B tonight.”

 

“Thanks, Nifa!” Hanji said, and followed a woman who had entered the academy before Hanji to the studio. It was still ten minutes to seven, so most of the class was already there and chatting amongst themselves. Hanji noted that, while most of the students were middle-aged, Gail was not there. However, it once again appeared that there would be two women left without a partner if Hanji didn’t lead.

 

 _‘Shoot,’_ Hanji thought, scanning the class discreetly. _‘What do I do?’_

 

Many of the students seemed to be couples already, some married, some not. There was a pair of high schoolers like Mina — a tall boy with dark skin and a ginger girl — but they were talking and giggling to each other in a way that clearly meant they were an item. Hanji finally noticed a girl around her age. The young woman had been talking to another couple, but it became clear she was by herself when the couple pulled away and the girl remained alone.

 

Targets locked on, Hanji walked over and held out her hand, saying, “Hi, I’m Hanji!”

 

“Hi,” the girl said, smiling politely and shaking Hanji’s hand. Her hand was soft to the touch, but the grip was firm. “I’m Petra, nice to meet you.”

 

“Ok, not to sound like a dorky teen romance movie, but would you like to be my dance partner for the class?” Hanji asked, getting to the point. “We’re two men short it looks like, but I dance the lead anyway.”

 

“Oh!” It didn’t take long for Petra to make a decision. “Sure! I don’t mind. I don’t have a partner right now at all, even outside of class.”

 

“Thanks!” Hanji gave her a thumbs up. “I only just started ballroom dancing, but I’ll do my best not to trip you up.”

 

“I’m sure I’ve danced with worse partners,” Petra giggled. “But don’t worry! I’ve been dancing for a few years now, so I can help you!”

 

Hanji smiled back, but Petra’s reassurance only increased her jitters, which, despite her confidence earlier, had begun to rattle upon seeing the other students. One Gail she could handle, but more? Petra was also Hanji’s opposite, with her light brown hair in a cute, short hairstyle and an equally cute blouse and skirt combo. Even in low heels, Petra only came up to Hanji’s nose.

 

“I’m so _nervous_!” The hushed phrase came from Petra, but was so close to Hanji’s own thoughts that it made Hanji jump.

 

“Huh? About what?” Hanji asked. _‘Oh man, don’t tell me we have to pass a test or something first!’_

 

“Oh! Sorry, thought I said that in my head!” Petra laughed nervously. “I wanted to take a lesson with Levi ever since I heard he was teaching after he quit dancesport, and finally, here I am! I can’t wait, but I’m super nervous!”

 

“Ah?” was all Hanij could say. “Was he, uh, famous? Sorry, I don’t know much about dancesport.” In her head, she thought, _‘I don’t know much about Levi, either.’_

 

“He was really well-known, and a super popular dancer,” Petra explained, eyes lighting up in her excitement. “Him, Erwin Smith, and Mike Zacharias were like the big three of ballroom dancing! Everyone wanted to be their dance partner. Levi was never in the spotlight as much as Erwin and Mike, though, he was like the dark prince, or something, oh gosh —”

 

Petra cut herself off with an embarrassed squeak and covered her face with her hands. “Oh man, I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to rant like that, I’m such a fangirl.”

 

“Nah, it’s ok,” Hanji said, holding back her amusement. _‘Oh my, she’s **adorable**_.’

 

Petra coughed lightly and fanned herself in an attempt to return her face to normal. “He’s the reason I got into ballroom dancing, but I heard a rumor that he hasn’t had a regular dance partner since he quit competing. It’s enough for me to have him as an instructor, though.”

 

Hanji raised her eyebrows, intrigued. _‘Hasn’t had a regular partner? What does that mean?’_

 

Levi and Eren entered the studio, and chatter ceased. Hanji tucked the new info on Levi away to study later, for Levi was wearing black pants and a black tank top again, and the sight commanded her complete attention.

 

“Evening,” Levi started, voice curt. “I’m Levi, and this is Latin Dance Level One. In this class, we’ll go over the basics for rumba, chacha, samba, and paso doble in that order. If we’ve got time, we might hit on jive. Tonight, we’ll go over rumba.”

 

Levi walked over to the stand holding the studio’s music device and started a song. He then took a few slow steps to Eren as slow, sultry music began to play. Levi and Eren both swung their hips to the beat of the music, with Levi rocking in coy movements as Eren spun around him.

 

Hanji was ecstatic. She had waited a long time to see Levi dance again, and she was not disappointed. The routine was set to slower music than the first time Hanji saw them dance, but the moves were no less sexy. Eren spun Levi around and while Eren was again the only one utilizing his facial expressions, Hanji could tell that Levi was not holding back this time.

 

He swirled his hips around and lifted his leg, and then straightened only to be pulled into another spin. Hanji followed his every move closely, forgetting that as the lead, she’d need to know what Eren was doing as well.

 

That wasn’t to say she ignored Eren; she couldn’t when he allowed Levi to lean forward onto him, their bodies nearly flat against each other before Levi pushed away. Levi acted the part of a hard-to-get woman, and played it well. He sashayed away to let Eren slide onto a knee instead of letting Eren embrace him, only to let Eren catch him on Eren’s next attempt. Just before the music ended, Levi caressed Eren’s face just before spinning away again.

 

As the class applauded, Hanji realized she was leaning forward with her weight on her toes, as if she wanted to chase after Levi too.

 

“Was that a rumba?” she muttered to Petra.

 

“Yeah,” Petra whispered in a daze, eyes still on Levi. “That was definitely a rumba.”

 

“I need to use the bathroom,” Hanji grunted, and ducked out of the studio, grateful that she had been standing near the door. In the restroom, she splashed water on her burning face.

 

 _‘Oh man, what do I do?’_ she thought, frantically. _‘He’s too hot! And I still gotta look at him for ninety minutes without blushing like a giddy little girl!’_

 

Rumba was going to be hard to learn.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I used [this specific rumba](http://youtu.be/0MJdy3rK5Xs) as reference for this chapter!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let's rumba.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter is un-beta'd! If you catch a mistake, let me know!

Levi wasn’t nervous about his new class because Hanji was in it, but he did feel slight agitation as he skimmed over the papers for each student at his desk.

 

 _‘They’re two men short,’_ Levi thought, sipping his tea. _‘Most of these registered together too, so they’re probably all couples.’_

 

He pulled a form out and placed it next to Hanji’s, which without him meaning to, had stayed on top of the stack the entire time.

 

 _‘This one, Petra, registered alone,’_ he thought. _‘If she’s alright with dancing with another woman, they could pair. Otherwise...’_

 

He looked up to see Eren texting on his phone across the office, perched in a tiny chair meant for visiting parents and students.

 

 _‘I guess we can use Eren or Auruo,’_ Levi pondered. ‘ _But Hanji leads, so it doesn’t really work; neither Eren or Auruo know how to follow. I can’t really spend the whole class dancing with her, though.’_ He snorted. ‘ _I have to look professional, after all.’_

 

“Oh, hey Levi?” Eren spoke up, looking away from his phone. “Why do you need me for a rumba demo? Couldn’t you just dance with Auruo?”

 

Levi’s face scrunched up, but it wasn’t Auruo’s fault. The thought of dancing the way Levi intended to dance with Auruo was not appealing to Levi at all.

 

“You need more rumba practice,” Levi finally said, dodging the matter.

 

“What?” Eren said, voice high in disbelief. “No way, my rumba’s fine.”

 

“Just leave it,” Levi growled, shooting him a warning glare.

 

“Sorry!” Eren said, backing off. “Annie and I were just curious, ‘cuz we’ve never seen you dance with anyone but us. Do you even have a regular dance partner?”

 

“I dance with Lynne occasionally,” Levi said, stacking the papers and filing them away. “I _do_ have other students too, you know.”

 

Eren didn’t look satisfied with Levi’s answer, but didn’t push further. Levi sighed and stood up, Eren doing the same.

 

“C’mon,” Levi said, resignation in his voice. “Let’s rumba.”

 

Eren snickered on cue at the phrase that never failed to make the kid laugh, and Levi groaned.

 

 _‘He means well,’_ Levi sighed again as they headed to the dance studio. _‘He just doesn’t need to know about my issues. They’re mine alone to deal with.’_

 

As Levi entered the studio, he noticed Hanji right away. She was in a shirt Levi was pretty sure he’d seen before, and still wore sneakers. She had been talking to a petite woman, but zeroed in on him when he walked in. Feeling flattered and a little perkier than before, he introduced himself and began the rumba demonstration with Eren.

 

The dance itself wasn’t necessary; most of the students had studied at Red Shoes already with him or other instructors. However, not only did Levi bet that Hanji had never seen a rumba, he also couldn’t resist the chance to show off now that she had finally made it to his class.

 

This routine wasn’t as sexy as the one Hanji first witnessed; Roxanne had been a performance about a man in love with a prostitute, while this particular rumba was for a technical group performance and hinted at a hard to get woman who teased her prey before ensnaring them.

 

 _‘But who is the prey now?’_ Levi thought, rocking towards Eren before they rocked back in a New York. Levi snuck a glance at Hanji, and as he had hoped, her eyes were on him and that intense expression was on her face. Levi felt a chill run through him, and he returned his focus to the dance, making sure his hips swung in time with the music and his arms flowed without pause.

 

Eren noticed the spring in Levi’s step and looked at Levi with a question in his eyes. Levi ignored it, but before the dance concluded, Levi saw Eren’s eyes light up as if the boy had made a connection, and he grinned at Levi impishly. The music ended, and as the two dancers bowed to the applauding class, Levi saw Hanji dart out the studio. He frowned, but moved on.

 

“And that was a rumba,” he said, noting that even the older students looked impressed. “Does everyone have a partner? My roster said we’re two men short this time.”

 

“Excuse me, Mr. Levi?” The young woman that had talked with Hanji before class started spoke up, her voice squeaking on his name. “Hanji and I have partnered up, she just went to the bathroom.”

 

“Just Levi. And good, thanks,” Levi told her, and then turned to Eren. “You can stay and I give you a lift, or you take the bus home,” he muttered.

 

“I can stay!” Eren said, a little too eagerly in Levi’s opinion. “I brought some stuff to study.”

 

As Eren left the studio, he passed Hanji on her way back in, and gave her a high-five as he said, “Hi, Ms. Hanji!”

 

“Alright, pair up,” Levi said, clapping his hands and then turning on some music to play on a quiet loop. “We start with the basic movements, beginning with the closed and open movements.”

 

The class went without a hitch. There were five pairs of dancers, but no one said a peep about Hanji leading. Levi was relieved; he was incapable of holding his tongue as well as Lynne could. The three middle-aged couples were casual social dancers, and seemed mild-mannered despite forming their own little clique. The high schoolers — Franz and Hannah, friends of Eren’s — were constantly giggling and fumbling over their own feet, but dealt with Levi politely.

 

 _‘She’s not doing too badly,’_ Levi thought, watching Hanji drop her knees one at a time, up and down, in a really stiff basic in place. _‘It’s like her legs are made of wood, though.’_

 

He walked over to Hanji and her partner, Petra, who was performing well and actually spent most of the class so far helping Hanji.

 

“Hey,” Levi said, getting their attention. “I got some WD-40 in the closet unless you can loosen your knees without it.”

 

Hanji laughed, head tilted back in a way that Levi was beginning to identify as her feeling genuinely amused. “Like my body isn’t saturated with enough grease and machine oil as it is!” she said, looking down at him with a lopsided grin.

 

“Ugh,” Levi said, making a face. “I don’t even wanna know. Loosen up. Next we’re doing cucarachas, or pressure steps. They’re essentially the same thing as the basic in place, but you step to the side.”

 

Later on in the class, it was spot turns that proved to be more difficult for the less experienced dancers. With one of their palms flat against each other, the dancers had to take a step towards the left or right to turn away in a complete rotation, with their opposite hands meeting again after the rotation.

 

The high schoolers kept twirling too much and their constant giggling was maddening. Hanji nearly bowled Petra over after coming too close to the shorter woman, and Levi stepped in again.

 

“You keep overshooting where Petra is,” he said, halting Hanji’s efforts. “Be aware of her presence. If you have to, pick a step distance to aim for together.”

 

“Hm, care to demonstrate?” Hanji said, smiling with a tease in her voice and laughter in her eyes.

 

Levi narrowed his eyes but took Petra’s place after Petra silently stepped aside. He reached up and met Hanji’s open palm with his own for the start position, and said, “On one, we step. Two, spin, and three, meet again with our other hands.”

 

“Gotcha,” Hanji said. She was playful before, but her expression had taken on that intense look again, and the sudden switch and close proximity nearly startled him.

 

 _‘She’s focused,’_ Levi realized, trying to ignore the heat of her palm. He blinked slowly, feeling the weight of her in his space, and then said, “One.”

 

They stepped to the left.

 

“Two,” Levi said.

 

They turned. Hanji was out of his line of sight, but he could still feel her presence. As he completed the rotation, he lifted his other hand in a smooth motion that his body remembered from countless spot turns, and his open palm met Hanji’s in an almost-perfect connection. It was just as rough, dry, and warm as the other hand.

 

“You forgot to say three,” Hanji murmured after he failed to speak. The grin was back on her face.

 

He grunted. “Now do it with Petra,” he said, dropping his hand and turning away.

 

“Yes, sir,” Hanji sang behind him.

 

\-----------------------------------------

 

Hanji decided about a half hour into the class that she was very lucky Petra was her partner. Petra had proven to be extremely patient despite Hanji’s awkward attempts at following Levi’s instruction, which was in a larger quantity than the basics class where only one step was taught per class.

 

 _‘There’s a lot more parts to a whole dance,’_ Hanji mused, as she stepped according to Petra’s directions. ‘ _It’s like learning first how cylinders and valves work, and then how you can use them to make a hydraulic system!’_

 

“Having fun?” Petra asked, a smile on her face.

 

“I am!” Hanji replied with enthusiasm. “I’ve never really danced before, let alone ballroom, but you could probably tell already.” She paused as they stepped away from each other and back again, and after they joined hands again, she said, “Thanks, by the way, for partnering with me. Apparently it’s considered weird for a woman to lead.”

 

“Oh, it’s no problem at all!” Petra let go of one hand to wave away Hanji’s concerns. “You’re no different from any other guy I’ve danced with.”

 

“Do you have a regular partner?” Hanji asked, thinking of Petra’s comment about Levi.

 

“No, not right now,” Petra replied, after they stepped back and forth again. “Before I moved here for school I did, but he had the gall to grab my butt once during practice.”

 

“What!?” Hanji paused their dancing and got a couple of curious looks from one of the middle-aged couples. “What’d you do? Please tell me you punched him in the face.”

 

“Better,” Petra shrugged, and then smiled wickedly. “He went for a lift, and I went for a suplex.”

 

Hanji high-fived her, and they continued practicing what Levi had called cucarachas, something that Hanji could have sworn was a bug and not a dance move.

 

 _‘Levi as a teacher is about what I expected after hanging around him a bit,’_ Hanji thought, eyeing Levi as he assisted the giggly high schoolers. ‘ _A bit rough, but genuine. He doesn’t hold back if you screw up, but he’ll tell you how to fix it and doesn’t cut you down.’_

 

She chuckled, remembering his comment about WD-40. Petra cocked her head in confusion, and asked, “What got you into ballroom, Hanji?”

 

“Same guy as you, actually,” Hanji said, tilting her head in Levi’s direction. “Saw him dancing on the street with a student and decided to give it a try. Had to take a basics class first, though.”

 

They watched Levi demonstrate a move called the New York. It looked simple enough; the dancers clasped hands while facing outward and twisting their other arms out. It made Hanji think of a butterfly’s wings opening and closing.

 

“He’s not really what I expected,” Petra said. She didn’t sound too disappointed, but it made Hanji wonder what Levi must have acted like in his dancesport days. “But he’s not so bad, just a little rougher than I imagined.”

 

“Guess I like it rough,” Hanji said, nearly dissolving into giggles before she could finish. “Ah, I mean, I don’t mind, I’ve got worse professors.”

 

“Where do you go?” Petra asked, perking up.

 

“Sina Tech, for engineering,” Hanji said. As they spun out and in, she tried to make sure her knees stayed loose, like Levi said.

 

“Darn, I just started at UR-Trost,” Petra said. “I had to wait until I was settled in my dorm and classes before I could take a class here, though.”

 

Levi introduced the class to spot turns, which gave Hanji some trouble. She couldn’t seem to coordinate the distance between her and Petra, and either bashed into the girl or missed her completely. Finally, Levi intervened.

 

“You keep overshooting where Petra is,” he said. “Be aware of her presence. If you have to, pick a step distance to aim for together.”

 

“Hm, care to demonstrate?” Hanji teased Levi, but she really did want the demonstration. _‘I learn better from visuals,’_ she thought, as Petra moved aside and Levi stepped in front of Hanji with his palm out to her.

 

Hanji didn’t have small, dainty hands, but Levi’s were still a little larger than her own. It was smoother, and was cool to the touch until Hanji’s body heat began to transfer. She switched her focus from his hand to his face and made eye contact with him in an effort to establish his presence in her mind, something easy to do since he was already so close to her that her heart rate had jumped up.

 

“One,” Levi said.

 

They stepped to the left and Hanji noted that while neither of them had specified a direction, they moved left together.

 

“Two,” came the second count, and they turned.

 

Hanji imagined how far they had both stepped, and though she couldn’t see Levi physically, he was there in her mind’s eye. They completed the rotation and Hanji’s hand made contact with Levi’s upon finishing.

 

“You forgot to say three,” Hanji said, unable to hold back her grin. He looked surprised at the success of their turn, and Hanji was as well. _‘The power of Levi, I guess,’_ she thought, stifling a giggle as Levi grunted and removed his hand.

 

“Now do it with Petra,” he said, turning away.

 

“Yes, sir,” Hanji sang, turning back to Petra before she started laughing. _‘Oh man, he’s actually **blushing**! The tips of his ears are pink! How cute is that?!’_

 

“Are you ok?” Petra whispered.

 

“More than ok!” Hanji nearly squealed, but in her head she thought, _‘I’m gone. I’m so gone and I don’t think I care!’_  She inhaled deeply to steady herself, and said, “Alright, let’s try again!”

 

They nailed the spot turn on the second try.

 

After spot turns came underarm turns, where the follow turns around under the lead’s arm without letting go of the lead’s hand. It was much easier than a spot turn and required more work on the follow's part. Hanji imagined Levi in the place of Petra, and had to work to keep a stoic face.

 

“Congratulations,” Levi said to the class after they finished the turns. “You just learned a third of the bronze level syllabus for rumba, with just these steps alone.”

 

“What does that mean?” Hanji asked, raising her hand.

 

“A syllabus competition has a set of dance steps that are performed by each competing couple,” Levi replied. “Bronze is the lowest level and consists mostly of basic moves. Then there’s  silver and gold, with more advanced steps on top of the steps from the previous levels.”

 

“Ah, I see,” Hanji said.

 

“Is anyone here looking to compete in dancesport competitions?” Levi asked. Only Petra raised her hand. “If you’re interested in competing through Red Shoes, we do have two instructors, myself and Mike, who can coach you. Just talk to Nifa and she’ll set you up. Alright, so now that you know the basics to rumba, I’ll show you how to put them together and actually _dance_ a rumba.”

 

Levi gave them a brief routine, and it came with a sheet of paper for each student to practice in their own free time. Hanji snorted upon receiving her sheet and Petra looked at her with a question on her face.

 

“I’ve been practicing with my roommate,” Hanji explained. “She told me if it keeps up, she won’t ever need an actual class.”

 

“I could practice with you sometime,” Petra offered. “But...maybe after midterms.”

 

Hanji shuddered. “Shhh! Don’t speak of them, it’s bad enough that I have one first thing in the morning!”

 

“Oh no,” Petra said, cringing. “You’re scaring _me_ now.”

 

“Oh, that’s right, you’re just a wee little freshman!” Hanji laughed and Levi shot her a warning glare from across the studio. She shuffled into the frame with Petra like a good student. “But thanks! I might take you up on your offer.”

 

The class ended with Hanji only messing up two or three times on the routine order, but she enjoyed herself regardless. After Levi dismissed the class, she stayed to watch Petra ask Levi for an autograph on what looked like a small poster.

 

“She’s so cute,” Hanji told Levi as they watched Petra dart out the studio with a very bright red but ecstatic face.

 

Levi grunted and shrugged his shoulders.

 

 _‘So interesting,’_ Hanji thought to herself as they left the studio and walked into the lobby. _‘He doesn’t like the attention, but he competes in a spectator setting. What a contradiction!’_

 

“She matches well with you,” Levi said, referring to Petra. “Maybe you two should be regular dance partners.”

 

“Hm. I’m fine with just this for now,” Hanji mused, wondering if Levi was hinting at something. “Midterms are this week, and by the time this class ends, it’ll be finals time and the rocket competition.”

 

“That a class project or something?” Levi asked. He looked as if he wasn’t sure Hanji was actually building a rocket or just pulling his leg.

 

“Sort of. We had the option to do that or the final,” Hanji replied. “The final is rumored to be crazy hard because of it, since the school would prefer the fame of winning the competition. Plus, there’s prize money if you win!”

 

They stepped outside of the academy. The air was cool as expected for late October, but far from a winter freeze.

 

“We’re in for a really mild winter this year,” Hanji observed. “Guess that’s why they went ahead and schedule the competition in November this year.”

 

“We had a hellish summer to make up for it,” Levi muttered.

 

“True, it  hit 110 back in July, didn’t it?” Hanji recalled. _‘Ah, he doesn’t like the heat,’_ she thought, seeing a look of displeasure cross Levi’s face as he remembered the scorching summer. He was probably sensitive to all temperatures, judging by the light trail of goosebumps puckering across his bare arms.

 

“Do you have a dance partner?” Hanji asked Levi.

 

He didn’t answer right away. “No,” he said. “Not right now.”

 

Hanji hummed a response, but didn’t ask anything else. _‘Wonder if it’s linked to Rico? That might set my plans back a bit, but-’_

 

“Zoë?” A feminine voice interrupted Hanji’s thoughts and she turned to see a young woman walk towards them on the sidewalk. “It _is_ you!” the woman said, relieved.

 

Hanji froze at the sight of her sister. “Danielle!” she said the name with a rusty croak, surprised. “Hi! What brings you downtown?” Hanji cringed inwardly at her poor wording; she hadn’t meant to sound like she was accusing her.

 

“I’m meeting friends for dinner,” Danielle said. “We’re having a study session for a midterm tomorrow.”

 

“Wow, you look at lot different now,” Hanji said, marvelling at Danielle’s appearance. Danielle had hair the same color as Hanji’s, but it was long and styled in pretty waves. She also wore a cute outfit consisting of a dark denim jacket, a fluffy skirt that stopped mid-thigh over black tights, and heeled boots. “You’ve grown up,” Hanji said, feeling her throat tighten.

 

“You look about the same,” Danielle said, smiling with a warm and friendly expression. Her features weren’t as prominent as Hanji’s, and she also wore light makeup to play up her hazel eyes and bright smile. Her build was the same as Hanji’s as well, with slender frames and a small chest, but again, Danielle seemed to wear it better than Hanji.

 

“Are you in college now?” Hanji asked, remembering Danielle’s purpose. “Where at?”

 

“UR-Trost,” Nicole replied. “I’m a freshman now, planning on going for psychology. Grace is still working on her nursing degree.”

 

Hanji made an approving noise. “That’s awesome! Hey, my new dance class partner is a UR-T freshman, too!”

 

“Dance partner?” Nicole looked up at Red Shoes’s sign and then to Levi. “Are you taking dance lessons?”

 

“Yup!” Hanji cracked a grin with a wink thrown in. “Ballroom dancing! This is my instructor, Levi. Say hi, Levi!”

 

“Hi,” said Levi. He had been standing slightly behind Hanji in silence, and Hanji’s heart skipped when she realized he had stayed put even though he had to be pretty chilled by now.

 

“That’s awesome, Zoë!” Danielle said, surprised. “Ballroom dancing? Like waltz and stuff?”

 

“Kinda. I’m learning rumba right now,” Hanji said, puffing her chest out. Behind her, Levi gave a quiet snort.

 

“Man, I’d love to see that sometime,” Danielle said. Hanji didn’t miss the wistful ring in her voice. “Hey, do you want to take a picture? I know it’s been a while since you got one of me, right?”

 

“Oh! Yeah!” Hanji nearly dropped her phone in her excitement as she pulled it out of her pocket. She turned to Levi and with her hands clasped around the phone, she pleaded, “Levi, can you take it for me, pretty please?”

 

Levi blinked in surprise and took the phone. After opening the small flip phone and tapping a couple of buttons, he was heard growling, “Ugh, you build _rockets_ and you’re still using an ancient flip phone?”

 

“Aw, just take the picture,” Hanji waved him off and stood near Danielle.

 

For a second, she felt awkward just standing there, but as Levi raised the phone, Danielle suddenly wrapped an arm around Hanji’s shoulders. Heart bursting with joy, Hanji quickly raised her own arms to embrace Danielle just before Levi took the picture.

 

“Let me see too!” Danielle said as Levi handed Hanji the phone.

 

The two women peered at the small screen. Both were smiling broadly while hugging each other close. Hanji felt tears prick her eyes, and she blinked them away.

 

“Send it to me, ok?” Danielle said, pulling away. “I want it on mine, too.”

 

“But it’s gonna look crappy,” Hanji said, protesting. “My phone takes such small pics.”

 

“It’s fine!” Danielle shook her head. “I’ve gotta get going, or else I’d take one on mine. And I wanna chat with you sometime!”

 

“But,” Hanji said, lowering her voice. “What if you’re caught talking to me?”

 

Danielle’s dark brows furrowed and looked so much like Hanji herself that Hanji blinked in surprise. Danielle hugged Hanji and before she pulled away completely, Danielle said, voice serious and determined, “I don’t care. And call me Dani.” Then she stepped back and waved at Hanji and Levi before walking down the street.

 

Hanji stared after Danielle, her head reeling. ‘ _She doesn’t care?’_ Hanji thought, feeling torn between pride and worry. _‘She really **has** grown...’_

 

“Brr, kind of chilly out,” Levi said, voice flat and deadpan.

 

Pulled out of her thoughts, Hanji laughed nervously. “Sorry,” she said sheepishly. “That was my sister. I haven’t seen in her years.”

 

Levi shrugged, his arms crossed against the chilly air. “I thought as much,” he said. “You two look a lot alike.”

 

Hanji gaped at him, and then laughed again. “What? Huh. That’s something I’m not used to hearing.”

 

Levi raised an eyebrow, and then asked, “You take the bus, right? You didn’t miss it, did you?”

 

“No, but it _will_ show up soon,” Hanji replied, checking the time on her phone.

 

“Hey Levi, we’re gonna close up the front now.” A huge, blonde man poked his head out of the dance academy. He looked at Hanji and smirked before ducking back into the building.

 

“Ugh,” Levi muttered, annoyed at the interruption.

 

Hanji giggled and with a sudden surge of happiness welling up within her, she gave Levi a hug that was brief but allowed her to catch a whiff of that clean, soapy smell again.

 

“Bye, Levi!” she sang, and dashed off as Levi swatted her away.

  
Before she was completely out of earshot, Hanji barely heard him say, “Bye, Hanji.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Google WD-40 and giggle immaturely with me at the first search result.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi has a rough day.

Levi watched Hanji break out into a half-skip, half-run down the sidewalk. His skin still tingled a little from when she hugged him.

 

 _‘Is she made of fire or something?’_ he thought, entering the academy. _‘She’s in a t-shirt but it was like being hugged by a shirt just out of the dryer.’_

 

His plan had been to walk Hanji to the bus stop, flirt a little, and do some observation of his own since Hanji clearly was observing _him_ quite intently, but the appearance of Hanji’s sister had thrown them both off.

 

 _‘Well, I **did** observe a little,’_ Levi corrected himself as he entered the office. Eren had perched himself behind Levi’s desk with textbooks open on the surface, and he immediately began packing them away upon Levi’s entrance.

 

_‘Hanji was tense the entire time. I knew Zoë was her first name, because of the paperwork; must have had some family drama since she goes by her last name but her sister is still using the first.’_

 

Levi rolled his shoulders as if shrugging off the matter, and put on a light jacket. _‘No concern of mine,’_ he thought. _‘Hanji is Hanji and I’m no stranger to family drama.’_

 

“Man, check him out,” Mike was heard saying while Levi put some papers away. “He’s totally zoned out. And this is because of that student of his?”

 

“Stay out of my business,” Levi growled. He finished filing away his papers neatly and started putting away what few odds and ends were on his desk.

 

“He didn’t say no!” Eren said to Mike with excitement. “What do you think, Mike?”

 

“They were outside so I didn’t get a good whiff,” Mike responded. He stroked his thin layer of facial hair. “I got a lot of metal, oil, maybe grease. A faint trace of something salty, could be either sweat or french fries.”

 

Levi paused his tidying to give Mike a quick glare. Mike had a super sensitive nose that was quite adept at discerning a person’s smell. Levi remembered Hanji’s comment about being saturated with various mechanical fluids, and he shuddered.

 

“C’mon, brat,” Levi told Eren, and started walking out of the office. Mike whistled something that sounded like romantic waltz music, and Levi gave him the special look he reserved for baggers who put Windex with the fruit. Mike was heard laughing even as Levi and Eren left through the back room.

 

Levi got his car going on the first try and pulled out of the parking lot. Eren had resumed fiddling with his phone — Levi noticed it wasn’t a smart phone or a flip phone, but one of those sliding ones — and Levi’s thoughts returned to Hanji in the silence.

 

 _‘She didn’t question my dance partner status,’_  he thought, tapping his fingertips against the steering wheel. _I’m not exactly looking for a partner, but I had thought her intention was to dance with me. Is something holding her back? Or did she not wanna push her luck with me?’_

 

Levi huffed through his nose in discontent. _‘I like it better when she’s brash. I’m not some delicate leaf.’_

 

“Hey, uh, Levi?” Eren’s voice broke into Levi’s thoughts. “You’re going the wrong way.”

 

Levi blinked. He had forgotten that Eren was in the car and had started driving home. He swore under his breath and jerked the wheel to swerve onto a different street, causing Eren to yelp and grab the handle above his seat.

 

There was silence again, but Levi was paying attention now.

 

“Wow,” Eren said, apparently feeling brave. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you zone out like that before.”

 

“Wow,” Levi returned icily. “I don’t think you know when not to talk to me.”

 

“Is it ‘cuz of Miss Hanji?” Eren said, grinning.

 

Levi didn’t like how the way Eren said Hanji’s name echoed the way Hanji liked to sing his own.

 

“No, it isn’t,” Levi lied.

 

“Mike said you two were loitering outside, though,” Eren retorted. “So are you two dating now?”

 

Levi shot Eren his best glare. Apparently his best wasn’t very strong that evening, because Eren simply snickered at it.

 

They approached a red light, and a soft whooshing noise filled the air as Levi braked for it.

 

“You should get your car looked at,” Eren suggested.

 

“Don’t tell me what to do,” Levi growled. “I’m a grown man with a license and you’re not.”

 

Eren shook his head but carried on. “Hey, why don’t you dance with Hanji?”

 

Levi had started driving again but braked as hard as the stiff pedal would allow him. It was just enough to make Eren yelp again.

 

“I just thought it was a good idea!” Eren protested. “I mean, you two like each other, right?”

 

“Last time I checked,” Levi said, driving again. “You didn’t need to date your dance partner in order to have one, else you and Annie would be an item right now.”

 

Eren made a small choking noise. It was hard to see clearly in the darkness, but Levi had known the kid long enough to be sure that Eren’s face was red. Levi was a little put off by the reaction.

 

 _‘What’s with this?’_  Levi thought, disgusted in himself. _‘It’s not like me to be so out of it. What else have I missed?’_

 

“Anyway!” Eren said loudly. “I think you should go for it!”

 

Levi snorted. “What makes you so qualified to give _me_ advice?”

 

“Well…” Eren sounded shy, which made Levi turn in his seat to squint at him in the darkness. Eren was almost always loud, gutsy, and never knew when to quit anything, but shy? Never.

 

“You always give me advice,” Eren continued. “And you’ve helped me a lot! So...I just wanted to try and help you, I guess?”

 

“I haven’t done anything,” Levi replied. He felt uncomfortable as he always did when being praised for something other than his dancing, but there was also a small feeling of sweetness. It was something Levi hadn’t felt in a long, long time.

 

“But you’ve done a lot!” Eren protested. “I know Mom and Mr. Erwin put you up to it, but you could’ve given up on me as my instructor. And I was really dumb back then, and you saved my butt a ton, and kept me from getting expelled or from getting put in juvie, and —”

 

“That’s enough,” Levi interrupted him. His voice was gruff but he wasn’t angry, just embarrassed. He was thankful for the darkness and that he didn’t do a full facial blush like Eren, because his cheeks were definitely too warm.

 

They finished the drive to Eren’s home in silence. Eren’s thumbs flew over his phone most of the time; Levi suspected he was probably blabbing about their exchange to Annie and that other blond kid Eren was friends with. Levi just really, really wanted to go home to his tea and a movie, or maybe the book he was in the middle of. After Levi pulled into Eren’s driveway and put his car into park, the car sputtered and died.

 

“You really should get it looked at, though,” Eren said, climbing out while Levi cussed and furiously mashed the brake while turning the key. “My dad knows a guy —”

 

“The last guy your dad referred me to gave me the worst haircut I’ve ever had and cut my ear with his scissors,” Levi seethed. The car reluctantly came back to life. “Good night,” he grumbled, and drove off after Eren shut the door and waved goodbye.

 

\------------------------------------------

 

The rest of the week passed smoothly enough for Levi. The class load was light due to the winter season setting in, so Levi only had one other class and his coaching sessions with Annie and Eren. He was free on Fridays, and on this particular Friday, he decided to start his morning jog a bit later in the morning and at a park on the south end of town.

 

The city streets, however, decided it was not to be.

 

About ten minutes from the park, Levi’s car hit a nasty pothole and shortly afterwards he noticed that the steering wheel was starting to shake and there was a disturbing clanking noise coming from the rear of his car. He pulled over to the side of the road, which fortunately had a wide shoulder but had enough traffic to make Levi cringe in embarrassment as he got out of the car to inspect it.

 

 _‘Ugh’_ , he thought, the word filled with a heavy feeling of anger and an emotion he absolutely loathed — helplessness. The left rear tire was sagging on the rim; if he had kept driving, it probably would have been destroyed, rim and all. Even Levi knew that much.

 

He put his face in his hands and screamed silently. Cars were definitely not in his limited skill set; he would need to call for a tow truck. He leaned against his trunk and pulled out his phone. It was a smart phone, and while it wasn’t the latest model and only had the smallest of data plans, it at least wasn’t a flip phone. As he began to browse listings for tow trucks, a city bus roared by, startling him and nearly making him drop the phone. He hissed at it under his breath and as if in reply, the bus screamed as it braked to a stop a short distance away. Levi glared at it and returned to his phone.

 

 _‘Friggin’ piece of moving mechanical Pringles on stupid marshmallow wheels, can’t even take a stupid pothole without gettin’ bent outta shape, why can’t I just drive an army tank or something that can plow over those morons who brake for every single leaf that blows across their tinted windshields_ —’

 

“Levi!”

 

Levi spun around, the gravel under his sneakers crunching loudly as he faced Hanji, who was running up to his car as the bus took off. She was wearing dark blue coveralls that were stained with various substances and had worn knees. On her feet were her infamous steel-toed boots, and on her face was that wide grin.

 

Levi would never admit it, but he was starting to like Hanji’s open smiles. Right now, however, he just wanted to crawl under his crap car.

 

“Hey, fancy meeting you here!” Hanji greeted him. Embroidered on one side of her coveralls was “Prospect Automotive Group” and on the other side was a patch that had “Hanji” sewn on it. She saw his tire. “Oh no, flat tire, huh?”

 

Levi scowled at the offensive sack of rubber, wishing he could ignite it with his glare. “Pothole”, he growled.

 

“Ahhh,” Hanji said, nodding in understanding. “Good thing I saw you! I was on my way to work. Need some help?”

 

She looked at him for his answer, but Levi couldn’t see any sort of teasing or mocking in her face, only her eagerness to help.

 

“Yes, I do,” he said, sighing. “Cars aren’t my thing.”

 

“You didn’t call for a tow truck yet, did you?” she asked. When he shook his head, she said, “Good! ‘Cuz cars are totally my thing and I am loads cheaper! Can you pop your trunk for me?”

 

Levi opened the trunk. It was like the rest of his car — clean, empty, and smelling of pine tree air fresheners. Hanji hummed to herself as she reached in and started unscrewing a plug in the center of his trunk bottom. It came off, and she removed a panel to reveal a small tire and what looked like a jack. She pulled them out with little difficulty, shut his trunk, and moved around to the flat tire.

 

 _‘I didn’t even know there was a spare tire in there,’_ Levi thought, feeling both impressed and further disappointed in himself. _‘Why is it so small though?’_

 

“This is called a donut,” Hanji explained, seeing Levi’s look of confusion. She knelt on the ground and started loosening the bolts on his tire with the handle of the jack that detached and doubled as a giant screwdriver. “It’ll get you rolling again, but don’t drive on it for too long. Do you have a warranty on your tires?”

 

Levi had to think about it. “Probably not. I think I’ve had these for about three years.”

 

“Darn, you’d probably have to pay full price if you went back to wherever you bought ‘em, then,” Hanji said. She moved the jack into place under the car and started pumping it to lift the car. After that was done, she detached the jack handle again and finished unscrewing the bolts. “Hey, you could buy it from us!” she chirped. “I’ll even get you a discount!”

 

“You work at a repair shop?” Levi asked, mainly for confirmation.

 

“Yup, Fridays and Saturdays during school at least. I don’t mean to brag, but we’re the best on the south side, if not the whole city,” Hanji replied with more than a hint of pride. She got the last bolt off and removed the tire. The donut slid on with ease and she paused to look at him. “Actually, could I have a ride to work? It’s not far from here.”

 

“Sure,” Levi said, shrugging. “All I’ve been doing this whole time is staring at your butt, might as well make myself useful.”

 

Hanji’s eyebrows wiggled up and down at him, and then she turned back around to screw the bolts back on. A few minutes later, the car was lowered, the flat tire was in the trunk, and Hanji was watching Levi from the passenger seat of his car as he tried to start the engine.

 

“How long has that been going on?” she asked as Levi got it going after a loudly hissed swear word.

 

“Around three or four months,” Levi grumbled, mood sour despite Hanji’s sunny presence. His legs were cold since he was wearing shorts for jogging, which looked like it wasn’t going to happen today. He also just had to admit he couldn’t change a flat tire without help, so there went more of his manly points.

 

“Ah, take a left up here,” Hanji said, pointing at an intersection.

 

Levi shoved his foot onto the pedal to make it brake and was met with the usual whooshing noise. He felt his cheeks twinge and he avoided looking at Hanji as he made the turn.

 

“Want me to look at it for you?” Hanji asked, breaking the awkward silence that followed. “I’m like, 75, no, 85 percent sure what the problem is.”

 

Levi considered his options. He’d been saving up for whatever major car repair it was definitely going to wind up being, but since he hadn’t needed a car repair since moving to this city a few years ago, he didn’t have a regular repairman yet. Plus, he would rather go with Hanji, who clearly knew her way around cars judging by her earlier efficiency, than whatever hack Dr. Jaeger would recommend.

 

“Fine,” Levi said, sighing again. “Can I get in today? My whole day’s been shot, might as well.”

 

“Lemme ask,” Hanji relied, digging out her phone. She was grinning again, but this time with an excitement that Levi recognized from glimpses at the dance academy in class as she learned the new steps.

 

 _‘Well, at least she’s not making fun of me,’_ he thought, mood easing a little.

 

“Hey!” Hanji said into her phone. “Perdon se me hizo tarde.”

 

Levi raised an eyebrow. Hanji spoke Spanish?

 

“A mi amigo se le poncho la llanta, vamos entrar para una nueva,” Hanji continued. “¿Si hay lugar? Necesita que le vean los frenos. Se me hace que es el power booster.”

 

She made a gesture for Levi to turn onto a street and he followed her instruction without a word, though he growled after a driver failed to use their blinker. He heard a man’s voice say something from Hanji’s phone and she snorted.

 

“¿Novio? ¡Ha!” She leaned over to peek at Levi’s dashboard and then straightened. He tried to ignore the flutter from the sudden action. “Pontiac Grand Am, ‘98, 100,000 miles. Yeah. No, estoy segura.”

 

Hanji moved the phone from her ear and told Levi, “Turn left on Second. He’s looking at the schedule now.” The man was heard speaking again and she paused to listen. “Ok. Déjame preguntarle. Levi, do you want to come back at one? It’s 11:30 right now.”

 

“Fine,” Levi said again, groaning inside at his lack of vocabulary. “I can change clothes and eat lunch.”

 

“Darn, I’ll miss the view,” she said, eyebrows wiggling again. “Turn right onto Prospect up here, and it’ll be in two blocks on the right, brick building.” Into her phone she said, “Dijo que si. Estare alla en cinco. See ya!”

 

She hung up and Levi saw the repair shop coming up as Hanji told him. It was an older brick building that probably dated back to the beginnings of the city, and Levi prayed that the inside was cleaner than the outside.

 

 _‘It’s a repair shop,’_ Levi rolled his eyes at himself. ‘ _Of course it’s gonna be filthy.’_

 

“You can just drop me off in front,” Hanji said. “When you come back, just go ahead and pull up to the garage door, and honk your horn.”

 

He pulled up to the front, brake pedal wheezing all the way. Hanji laughed at his disgusted expression, blew him a kiss, and hopped out of his car.

 

One hour later, Levi came back to the repair shop. His jogging clothes were replaced by black jeans and his worn-out but favorite leather jacket. When he had changed clothes, Furball had given him a condescending look.

 

 _‘No treats for him tonight,’_ Levi told himself as he pulled up to the repair shop’s garage and honked his horn. _‘Stupid cat.’_

 

The garage door opened and a man in coveralls like Hanji’s waved Levi in. The garage held three cars already, and Levi had to carefully slide his car in. As he got out of his car, Hanji waved at him from where she stood under a lifted car and walked over to him.

 

“The waiting room is right this way, Mr. Customer,” she joked, gesturing at a door set in a glass partition.

 

The waiting area was the opposite of the mechanics’ cluttered and dingy area. There were plush seats, a flat panel T.V., and a service counter with a computer. A coffee counter was against one wall with a rack of fairly recent magazines, and the whole room was spotless.

 

“Sergio!” Hanji called down a hallway. “¡Ya llego Levi!”

 

A Hispanic man lumbered out of the hall into the waiting room. Levi felt his senses prickle; Sergio was about six feet tall and two hundred pounds heavy, and despite the rounded belly the man was putting on in his age, his arms were still thick with muscle. Sergio gave him a critical stare and turned to Hanji.

 

“¿Éste es tu novio?” he muttered, voice as deep as one would expect from a man of his size. “Es tan pequeño…”

 

“His tire, Sergio, give the man his tire,” Hanji said, slapping Sergio’s arm.

 

“Hanji, no tengo llantas de bicicleta para chamacos,” Sergio said.

 

Hanji slapped him again. “Tire! And then we check his brakes!”

 

“Yeah, yeah,” Sergio brushed Hanji off and turned to Levi. “¿Que hacen tus frenos? ¿Los pedales golpean al piso? ¿Si funcionan?”

 

Levi narrowed his eyes at the bigger man but Sergio merely smirked in a way that reminded Levi of Mike.

 

“Sergio likes to pretend he doesn’t speak English,” Hanji sighed. “He asked if your brake pedal hits the floor and if your car can still stop.”

 

“It’s hard to push down,” Levi told Hanji, opting to ignore Sergio. “The car barely stops and I have issues starting the engine without pressing the brake.”

 

“See? The power booster,” Hanji said to Sergio. He grunted and entered the garage. Hanji rolled her eyes. “Someone will come in after we establish what’s wrong, but I’m guessing the total time will be about two to three hours ‘cuz we’ll have to get a part from across town. Hope you brought something to do.”

 

Levi lifted a book he brought in with him as a reply and she grinned. After slapping his back, she left him in the waiting room and went into the garage. Praying that her hand had been clean, Levi sat down in a spot that allowed him to see into the garage through the glass wall. At first, he tried to read his book, but he wasn’t in the mood for war veterans and mysteries, so instead, he wound up watching the garage, or more specifically, Hanji.

 

It was clear that Hanji knew as much about cars as Levi knew about tango. There were three other men besides Sergio; two were middle-aged and the third looked like he was just out of high school. All three appeared to refer to Hanji, if they weren’t instructed by Sergio. Levi watched as she hefted a tire over to Levi’s car as it sat lifted in the air. He decided that while she might not be able to lift him during a dance, carrying him would not be a problem, at least.

 

A different mechanic came in to tell Levi that the tire was installed and that it was indeed his power booster causing him trouble.

 

“There’s a leak so the lack of pressure is what’s givin’ you engine trouble and making the brake not work right,” explained the mechanic. Levi gave him a blank stare and the mechanic shook his head. “Anyway, we’re waiting on the new part, so it’ll be another hour.”

 

Levi nodded, opened his book, and pretended to read as the mechanic left the waiting area. Levi watched as the mechanic said something to Hanji, who frowned at him and shook her head while pointing a wrench at the man as she replied to him. The mechanic backed off and she returned to her work on a car that was much older than Levi but was obviously meant for car shows instead of daily driving.

 

An hour passed without Levi noticing. He liked watching Hanji work. He had no idea what she was doing, but she did her work with the same intense focus she gave to dancing. Occasionally, a mechanic had to tap her shoulder after calling to her didn’t get her attention, and she would laugh sheepishly at him before attending to whatever it was he needed.

 

Hanji was incredibly different from Rico.

 

 _‘I liked Rico because she’s a lot like me,’_ Levi mused as one of the mechanics came in to give Levi his bill. _‘But in the end, I guess I didn’t like dating myself.’_

 

The bill came out to roughly $450, and as the mechanic rattled off the list of work done and the part specs, Levi didn’t miss seeing a negative figure labeled “discount” that took off an extra $50.

 

 _‘Hanji’s doing,’_ Levi guessed as he paid for the repair, which was actually well within what he had saved up. _‘She didn’t have to; I’m not against paying for honest work, just don’t get in my way when I’ve got coupons.’_

 

The mechanic gave Levi his keys and walked him outside of the repair shop where his car and Hanji were waiting. The other mechanics, as well as Sergio, followed.

 

“¿Y cando vas a presentarle tu novio a Mamá?” Sergio asked Hanji. “Esta molesta sabes, por que no le dijiste.”

 

“He’s my dance instructor!” Hanji said, patting Levi’s shoulder. “Mi profesor de baile. Here, I’ll show you!”

 

Hanji grabbed Levi’s hands and shuffled him into a frame. Caught off guard, he let her begin the rumba routine he had taught her class. Despite her sudden actions, he slipped into the dance with Hanji naturally without much thought. There wasn’t any music, but Hanji clearly had some laying in her head as she hummed a tune under her breath and guided him through the routine with much enthusiasm. Levi was pretty sure she missed a step or at least a spot turn, but he was too busy being swept away by the dance and her steady eye contact.

 

 _‘It’s different from the dance competition,’_ Levi thought as they ended with a New York. _‘Not too much, the energy is still there and she’s still stiff in the knees, but she’s more confident as the lead now.’_

 

Hanji bowed as the mechanics clapped and whistled. They must have been quite the sight — two people ballroom dancing on the sidewalk without music, with one a woman in a dirty work uniform and the other a short man in black.

 

“See you in class on Tuesday,” Levi said to Hanji as he got into his car.

 

Someone snickered and another whistled, but he ignored them and started the car. It revved up on the first try to his pleasure, and without him murdering the brake pedal. Hanji came over and after he rolled the window down, she motioned him closer.

 

“You have really nice legs, by the way,” she murmured in his ear.

  
Her voice in his ear and the memory of standing on the side of the road like a damsel in distress made his forehead smack into the steering wheel. Her loud guffawing still echoed in his head as he pulled out of the repair shop’s lot and drove off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
> Hanji on the phone: Sorry, I'm running late. My friend had a flat tire, he's coming in for a new one. Is there a spot for him today? He needs his brakes looked at, I'm thinking power booster. Boyfriend? Ha! No, I'm pretty sure. He said yeah. I'll be there in five.  
> Hanji to Sergio: Levi is here!  
> Sergio: This is your boyfriend? He's so small...Hanji, I don't have tires for kiddie bicycles. What are your brakes doing? Does the pedal hit the floor? Do they still function?
> 
> Sergio to Hanji: When are you going to introduce your boyfriend to Mama? She's upset you know, that you didn't tell her.
> 
> Between me, [Lenoir](http://archiveofourown.org/users/LenoirWhittlethorn/pseuds/LenoirWhittlethorn/), and a translator, I have made an effort to revive what little Spanish I remember, but if I screwed it up, let me know and I'll fix it. (Also, speaking of Lenoir, that was totally an [Empty Boots](http://archiveofourown.org/series/127035) reference. :P)


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hanji needs a little help. Levi gives it.

Levi’s weekend went remarkably well. His car was fixed for a good price, he found a good movie on Netflix by accident, and Hanji thought he had nice legs, which was nice considering he was short.

 

And she didn’t tease him about his car.

 

His respect for her increased because of it. If he had called Mike, he’d never hear the end of it. If he had called a tow truck, he probably would have suffered through judging glances and lectures on how real men know how to change tires. At least Levi now knew how, after watching Hanji do it.

 

 _‘I don’t know what made her happier,’_ Levi thought on his way to Red Shoes. _‘Being able to work on my car, or being able to help me.’_

 

As he pulled into the parking lot, he thought about how excited she was over fixing his car and how she had the skill to back it up. It was beginning to sink in that, despite her appearance and excitable demeanor, Hanji was extremely intelligent. Sina Tech wasn’t as flashy and huge a school as UR-Trost, a state university, but even Levi was vaguely aware that Sina Tech had a reputation for excellent programs in science and engineering.

 

Hanji was right; she was not an idiot. And her dancing was improving.

 

“I’m a quick learner!” Hanji’s words from their first real meeting echoed in Levi’s mind as he entered the back room of Red Shoes.

 

“Levi! You’re early today!” Auruo greeted him. Levi wished the kid wouldn’t stand at attention every time Levi passed him.

 

“I’m doing some practice with Lynne,” Levi said, walking past him.

 

“Oh!” Auruo’s face lit up. “Can I watch?”

 

Levi shrugged as an answer and continued to the office. Lynne was waiting for him.

 

“You’re in a good mood today,” she commented as she followed him to one of the studios. Auruo was already there, perched on a stool with a look of eager anticipation.

 

“Am I?” Levi said, setting up the music. “I’m no different than any other day.”

 

“The canyon between  your eyes is smaller than usual,” Lynne teased.

 

As they did some light stretching, Levi noted that she remembered to wear flats instead of heels, something he didn’t expect since it must have been at least two months since their last practice session.

 

“Surprised that I remembered?” Lynne said, catching his gaze as they made a frame. She smiled at his grunt. “C’mon now, Levi. We’ve worked together for almost three years now. I’d like to think I know you well enough at this point.”

 

A slow, easy-going tune started up over the speakers and Levi set the pace with the simple box step. Lynne was a great dancer; she was adaptable to her partner and had natural grace. She tended to prefer lively and energetic dances like swing and jive, while Levi preferred the sultry and sexy styles of Latin. Lynne had a regular dance partner — Levi was pretty sure his name was Henning — and also taught at an elementary school. Education and young people often got her mama bear riled up, but that was about all Levi knew about Lynne.

 

“How was your first Latin One class?” Lynne asked as they swung into a faster paced rumba.

 

“Well enough,” he replied, performing a spot turn with her. They were following a basic syllabus step list, one that Levi knew Lynne would be familiar with.

 

“That’s all?” Lynne sounded disappointed. “How was Hanji? She find someone to partner with?”

 

“A new girl named Petra. She’s an experienced dancer,” Levi replied. “I was wondering why she took level one until she asked for my autograph after class.”

 

Lynne laughed and they spent a few minutes dancing without words. For a while, Levi was able to focus on dancing, and relished the feeling of his limbs loosening up and the music getting into his system. As someone who was usually reserved or even stoic, Levi used dancing as a medium of expression. Without having someone to dance with regularly, he had started to feel pent up and antsy, which then lead to him being grumpy.

 

 _‘That’s why I dance with Lynne or Eren every now and then,’_ Levi thought. The music switched to something lively and he started dancing a jive with Lynne. _‘But lately, it hasn’t been enough for me.’_

 

Lynne was skilled enough to dance with Levi but there wasn’t any personal connection between them. If pressed, Levi might call Lynne a friend, and he did go out to dinner with her, Mike, and Nifa on rare occasion after work, but Levi didn’t feel like dancing with her at any given time. Eren came close to touching that, but while Levi had opened up to Eren with dancing in ways he hadn’t even to Rico, it still wasn’t enough.

 

 _‘Plus, I’m not into brats,’_  Levi mused. _‘Kinda hard to feel sexy when dancing with a 17 year-old awkward beanpole.’_

 

Jive took a lot of energy and movement, so Levi and Lynne took a breather after it. Auruo clapped his hands in applause.

 

“You really **are** in a good mood,” Lynne told Levi, fanning herself with a hand. “Did something happen over the weekend?”

 

“I got my car fixed,” Levi replied. He was going to leave it at that, but Lynne kept staring at him. He gave up. “Hanji got it fixed,” he said.

 

“Hanji knows cars?” Lynne’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh man, maybe she can fix my heat before winter kicks into gear. I haven’t taken it in because I’m always getting screwed over, since I’m a **woman** and all that.”

 

“She works at Prospect Automotive Group on the south side,” Levi said. “They were...decent.”

 

“You saying that means they’re top notch then,” Lynne chuckled. “That’s great though, Mike said your car was having issues starting up.”

 

Levi frowned and Lynne shook her head.

 

“Ease up on Mike, you know he cares,” she said, prodding Levi’s arms into a frame. “We **all** care about you, ok?”

 

“I care about you!” Auruo called.

 

Levi cringed, but Lynne let him start up a tango in exchange for the mushy feelings.

 

Later that evening, Levi was waiting for his class to arrive. Good mood still intact, he decided to ask the students that were already there how they were doing, if they needed help with anything, and so on. Two of the middle-aged couples had taken a class with him in the past and were surprised by his uncharacteristic chattiness, but they smiled at him in appreciation.

 

Petra arrived just before seven and the two high schoolers came in five minutes late while apologizing profusely, but after Levi got his class warmed up, it was ten after seven and Hanji had yet to arrive. Levi simply called Auruo in to partner with Petra.

 

“This is Auruo.” Levi had to introduce him because upon seeing his dance partner for the evening, Auruo had promptly bit his tongue in sudden nerves. _‘He’s too used to dancing with wrinkled old crones,’_ Levi thought, leaving a stammering Auruo with a politely pleasant Petra.

 

The rumba review went well and the cha cha instruction also went without any huge mishaps, but Hanji still hadn’t shown up. Levi pushed a small feeling of worry and continued the class.

 

“How was Auruo?” Levi asked Petra after the class ended. “He works part-time here as our janitor and spare dance partner when men are in short supply. If he was awful, let me know.”

 

“He was alright,” Petra said, shrugging. She looked indifferent, but Levi had caught her and Auruo bickering at least twice. “I’m worried about Hanji though. She doesn’t seem like the type to miss class.”

 

 _‘She’s right,’_  Levi thought, watching Petra leave. He entered the office and sat at his desk to jot down a few notes about the class. _‘But it’s not really my business, right?’_

 

“Hm? Not loitering with your ‘student’ again?” Mike asked as he walked in. He looked surprised to see Levi at his desk.

 

“She didn’t show up tonight,” Levi said.

 

“Really? She alright?” Mike asked as he sat down to write his own notes.

 

“Dunno, she didn’t call Nifa,” Levi answered.

 

“That’s weird, people usually call in advance to schedule a private lesson to make up for missing a lesson,” Mike said. “Maybe you should call her? You guys swap numbers yet?”

 

Levi shook his head and Mike cocked an eyebrow, but said nothing. Before Levi put away his papers, he slid Hanji’s form into his notebook. Then he grabbed his stuff and headed to his car. It would take Mike a while to leave — he liked to gossip and flirt with Nifa while she closed up the front end — and Auruo had left after Levi’s class. In the privacy of his car, Levi took out his phone and dialed Hanji’s number off her form.

 

 _‘Being late is one thing, missing a class is another,’_ he told himself as the phone continued to ring Hanji’s. ‘ _Unless she schedules a private session, she’ll completely miss out on cha cha.’_

 

The phone continued to ring until the voicemail picked up, a default message with a poorly timed “HANJI” yelled in the spot for the owner’s name. Levi skipped it and hung up, and then dialed the number again. After a minute, the voicemail picked up again. Levi hung up and stared at his phone.

 

 _‘She’s not answering,’_  Levi thought, stating the obvious. _‘What does that mean?’_

 

Hanji wouldn’t miss a class on purpose; it was probably by accident like her first tardy class. But she also rode the bus to get to the academy, and it was dark now in the evenings. Levi had been jumped a couple times in his life, not in this city, but such things weren’t rare occurrences.

 

Levi groaned and dialed the number listed in the “emergency contact” slot on the form.

 

“Hello? Nanaba speaking.” A voice similar to Hanji’s in pitch but more ambiguous in tone answered on the first ring.

 

“Hello,” Levi’s voice cracked on the word and he cleared his throat quickly. “This is Levi form Red Shoes Academy. I’m calling because Hanji missed class and hasn’t contacted us, and isn’t answering her phone. Your name is the emergency contact, so I’m calling to check on her.” Levi felt his cheeks heat up in spite of himself.

 

“Levi?” Nanaba sounded surprised. “So she didn’t even — actually, I know this is sudden, but could you come over to Sina Tech?”

 

“Why?” Levi asked. This didn’t sound good at all. “Is something wrong with her?”

 

“Well…” Nanaba hesitated. “I’m not sure. She won’t talk to us. She hasn’t left the engineering lab in two days.”

 

Levi started his car. He knew where Sina Tech was; it was only a ten minute drive from the downtown area.

 

“Thanks,” Nanaba said. The car engine must have been audible. “I’ll meet you outside.”

 

As he drove to the school, Levi felt like he was experiencing deja vu. It felt like one of several times when he had to collect Eren from school after he got in a fight. This was different, though. Levi initially started working with Eren because Erwin was paying him for it, but then the kid actually grew on him.

 

Hanji had practically drop-kicked her way into Levi’s life without warning, but also with no strings attached. All she wanted was to learn how to dance and maybe score a dance with Levi, but he had every chance to turn her down and continue his life without looking back. He didn’t, though, because he was just as interested in her.

 

Hanji was quirky and energetic, but she didn’t force it on him and she wasn’t overwhelmingly happy. She rose to his challenges and dished out her own, but she didn’t change herself for him aside from taking dance, which in Levi’s biased opinion could only improve a person. He was short and not handsome like Erwin or Mike, but she clearly thought he was attractive. In turn, Levi was starting to think about her eyes, her messy hair, and maybe her butt more than once.

 

He wanted to dance with her. Not just as a teacher and student, either. He wanted to really dance with her, and being the follow didn’t bother him. He started learning to dance as the follow in order to better teach Eren, who learned better by doing and lacked a partner for private lessons, but Levi started finding it nice to let someone else take the lead for once. It required a massive level of trust, especially for lifts, and Hanji was proving to be worthy of that trust.

 

But now, something was wrong, and Levi was pulling into Sina Tech’s guest parking lot. The campus was two buildings with about six or eight floors a piece, and then two apartment-style dorm buildings. Levi popped a quarter in the parking meter and headed towards the school entrance, where a lone figure stood.

 

“Levi? I’m Nanaba.” Nanaba extended a hand and Levi shook it. Nanaba was androgynous with a short, blonde haircut, wide shoulders, a flat chest, and gender-neutral clothing.

 

“Are you a friend of Hanji’s?” Levi asked, just to make sure.

 

Nanaba nodded. “Roommates too. This isn’t the first time I’ve seen her like this, but she hasn’t done this since freshman year, so something must have happened over the weekend.”

 

Nanaba’s eyes narrowed at him and he held up a hand in defense.

 

“I promise I didn’t do anything,” he said. “Not intentionally, at least.”

 

They stared each other down for a minute, neither backing down.

 

“Fine.” Nanaba conceded and started walking towards the building, but then paused to look back at Levi. “By the way, you can refer to me as female.”

 

Levi twitched his shoulders and followed her into the building and down a few hallways. The silence was awkward, but he couldn’t think of anything to say. He had no idea what he was walking into, and small talk felt inappropriate.

 

They reached a large room with big glass windows. Inside were machines, tables, and other equipment. A couple of students were at work, but one of them took notice of Levi and Nanaba and started walking towards the doors. Levi could just barely see Hanji sitting at a table near the back of the lab.

 

“Moblit, this is Levi,” Nanaba said, introducing the student.

 

“Here, put these on,” Moblit said, handing them safety glasses. He had neatly parted brown hair, a rounded jaw, and looked at Levi with a nervous look. “Lab rules, gotta wear them at all times.”

 

He led Levi and Nanaba over to where Hanji sat. She had her back to the door, and was oblivious to her surroundings. Her focus was honed in on the books and notebooks laid out across the table.

 

“She’s been like this since yesterday morning,” Moblit said. “She only leaves to use the bathroom and get a snack from a vending machine.”

 

“What’s she doing?” Levi asked, eyes on Hanji. She gave no sign of hearing them talk about her, and only moved to turn a page. Levi thought the scene looked familiar.

 

“I think she’s been reviewing old material. Some of those books look like they’re from the beginning courses,” Moblit answered. “I talked to Professor Shadis, but he said she got a B+ on her midterm, so it can’t be that?”

 

Levi studied Hanji. She was wearing her welding jacket, her hair was messier than usual, and she looked a little pale. The smudges under her eyes were more pronounced than he last saw them.

 

‘ _A B+?’_ Levi’s brain made a connection and he reached over and gently pressed his hand to Hanji’s shoulder. “Hey,” he said gruffly, to get her attention. “You’re ruining your dance posture, straighten your back.”

 

Hanji stiffened under his hand and she tore her gaze away from her books to look at him.

 

“Levi!” she croaked, eyes going wide. She whipped her head in panic to look at a clock on the wall — it was 9:15. A short, high-pitched noise that was close to a wail passed her lips and she almost toppled her chair over in an attempt to stand up.

 

“I missed your class!” she said, distraught. “Levi, I’m so, so sorry!”

 

There was a spark of fear in her eyes that made Levi’s heart twinge. He turned to Nanaba and asked, “Where’s the nearest source of hot food?”

 

“Stohess, across the street,” Nanaba answered. She put an arm around Hanji and looked at her friend with worry. “It’s ok, Hans, he’s not mad. Right?”

 

Levi returned Nanaba’s pointed glare with a half scowl, half grimace. “No, I’m not mad,” he said, disgusted at the thought. “I’m hungry and I’m willing to bet that you’ve been eating vending machine food all day.”

 

Hanji started to protest, but Levi maintained steady eye contact with her in an effort to convey that he really wasn’t mad. He had been annoyed earlier during class, but Hanji’s well-being was more important now. Little by little, Hanji’s shoulders relaxed under Nanaba’s arm, and the panic in her eyes was replaced by exhaustion and what Levi hoped was relief.

 

“I can take a break, I guess,” Hanji said, sagging a little. “I’m sorry, guys.”

 

Nanaba clucked her tongue. “It’s ok, that’s what we’re here for, to take care of you when you need it. Let’s get some food into you!”

 

Levi and Nanaba handed their glasses back to Moblit. Hanji’s were her own, and stayed on her face. The trio left the campus building and walked in silence to Stohess, which turned out to be a bar and grill. Being a Tuesday night, it was thankfully quiet and not very busy. A waitress sat them down in a booth, and Nanaba immediately sat with Hanji, leaving Levi to sit across from them.

 

“I’m just having tea,” Nanaba told the waitress. “I ate something from the school cafeteria today. Big mistake.”

 

The waitress giggled at Nanaba’s wink and wrote it down.

 

“I’ll, uh, have the, uh,” Hanji faltered and cringed at her menu. “Can I just have waffle fries? With extra ketchup?”

 

Levi narrowed his eyes and Hanji squeaked. Nanaba watched them.

 

“Get what you want,” he said.

 

“I, uh,” Hanji stammered and avoided his gaze. “I only have five bucks…”

 

“I’m buying,” Levi said, voice firm. He had intended on paying anyway. Hanji tried to protest again, but he turned to the waitress and said, “Ignore her, I’ve got the bill. Put the tea on it too.”

 

“Levi, I don’t need—” Hanji tried again but Levi cut her off.

 

“If you don’t pick, I’ll pick the most expensive item for you,” he said.

 

“You wouldn’t…” Hanji’s voice trailed off as Levi continued to stare at her. “Fine,” she said, sighing and turning to the waitress. “I’ll get the cheeseburger. Same deal with the fries, though. Extra ketchup. Are you still serving coffee?”

 

“Drink water, Hans,” Nanaba spoke up. “You smell like you drank an entire Starbucks and moved on to motor oil because they ran out of coffee.”

 

Hanji laughed, and Levi felt some of the tension at the table ease.

 

“Ok,” Hanji said. “Water, please.”

 

After Levi ordered a sandwich with fries and the waitress left, Nanaba shifted the focus to Levi.

 

“So, this is Levi the Ballroom Dance Instructor,” she began, resting her chin on her hands as she peered at him from across the table. “Have you gone to college? Do you have health insurance? Do you have any pets? Do you buy lottery tickets?”

 

“No college, didn’t need it. I have both health and auto insurance, I have one cat, and I wouldn’t touch a lottery ticket even if someone gave it to me for free,” Levi answered without hesitation. He felt a little smug knowing that Nanaba knew who he was; it meant Hanji talked about him.

 

Nanaba hummed an approving sound. “You pass, for now,” she said, leaning back. “But, you do get quite a few brownie points for coming out here.”

 

“Ah!” Hanji’s head perked up. “Levi, why **are** you here? If you didn’t come to yell at me for missing class, I mean?”

 

“Normally students call us if they have to miss a class,” Levi explained. “It was on your paperwork for each class.”

 

“Was it?” Hanji tried to remember. “Oh. Sorry! I was really out of it.”

 

“He got worried and called me,” Nanaba hopped in, making Levi look away in slight embarrassment. “I didn’t know you put me down as your emergency contact.”

 

It was Hanji’s turn to avoid eye contact. She scratched her head sheepishly. “You’re, uh, on my lab contact sheet, too,” she said. “Y’know, in case the lab blows up or I chop a finger off. Should I have asked you first?”

 

Nanaba surprised Hanji with a fierce hug that made Levi cringe for Hanji’s nose, which got bashed against Nanaba’s head.

 

“No way, it’s totally fine!” Nanaba exclaimed. “I did wonder, once, about what would happen if Moblit wasn’t there to catch your blowtorch again.”

 

“That was just **one** time,” Hanji said, throwing up her hands. “Anyway, so Levi called you?”

 

“She said you wouldn’t leave the lab,” Levi butted in, trying to get control of his part of the story. “That maybe I could help.”

 

“Gerger has class, else I would’ve called him,” Nanaba said to Hanji. “I had intended on getting you carried out of the lab like last time, but you snapped out of it pretty quickly.”

 

Levi scrunched his face at that; so he was called for his supposed muscle? The food arrived and they ate in silence for a while. Unlike the silence during the walk to Stohess, the tension was gone and there was a feeling of companionship in its place. Levi watched Hanji eat, and noticed that Nanaba was also watching her. Nanaba acted as if she was the overprotective friend, but Levi could recognize real concern from fake, and Nanaba was not acting.

 

“Whew!” Hanji exclaimed, leaning back and stretching. “Ok, you guys win. I do feel **much** better after that.”

 

“Gerger’s gonna be upset that he missed out on meeting the boyfriend,” Nanaba said. “You should hang out with us sometime, Levi. Do you drink?”

 

Levi shrugged. “Not frequently. If I do, it’s at home. I’m not much of a social drinker.”

 

“Well, I hope you like beer,” Nanaba said, and then laughed. “Or at least learning about it. You’ll never want a cheap beer again after meeting Gerger.”

 

Levi paid the bill and they left Stohess. Hanji and Nanaba chatted about things like Moblit’s gray hair count and Hanji’s rocket, which was apparently already ahead of schedule its progress and nearly complete. Levi trailed behind them, watching the pair of friends laugh and giggle.

 

 _‘They look like good friends,’_ Levi thought. _‘But why the surprise over something as simple as an emergency contact number? And why is Nanaba not enough to pull Hanji out of whatever mess she’s in?”_

 

Hanji looked a thousand times better than when he first saw her in the lab, aside from from looking tired and a little frumpy. Her agitation was gone and her complexion was normal, but Levi couldn’t be sure from appearance that she was truly ok. When the reached one of the dorm buildings, Levi tapped Hanji on her shoulder.

 

“I need to talk to you about the class,” he said, as an excuse to peel her away from Nanaba.

 

“Class?” Nanaba frowned. “Dude, let her sleep, talk about it later.”

 

Hanji laughed. “No, it’s ok! Levi just wants to talk to me. I’ll walk off some of that burger in the process.”

 

Nanaba looked doubtful, but then sighed and said, “We’re all adults here, who am I kidding?” Hanji snickered. “Ok, **some** of us are adults,” Nanaba amended. “I’m gonna find my Pepto and get some sleep.”

 

Nanaba entered the dorm and Hanji looked at Levi.

 

“Well, should we walk a bit?” she suggested.

 

“Will we get mugged?” Levi asked. The campus was brightly lit and a few students were walking around, but Levi was done with having a lot of excitement for the day.

 

“Nah. There’s a small courtyard thingie this way,” Hanji said, gesturing past the dorm building. “Campus security patrols a lot around here, so we’ll be fine.”

 

Levi nodded and they began to walk.

 

\------------------------------------------

 

Hanji acted cheerful on the outside, but inside, she was a nervous wreck as she led Levi to a small area with benches and shrubs. During the day, she had occasionally wondered in the back of her mind when someone was going to attempt to haul her out of the lab, but never would she guess it’d be Levi.

 

Her blood had run cold when she saw him in the lab, a place she considered a sanctuary since student specific access was needed to get in. In her deep zone of intense concentration, she had forgotten about dance class. Hanji had felt devastated as well as disappointed in herself for letting Levi down. She had been doing so well with herself, but in the end, she had relapsed and retreated back into her studies.

 

 _‘But he’s not mad at me,’_ she thought, confused. They sat down on a bench. _‘And he came for me. Why, if not to yell at me?”_

 

“Petra danced with our janitor,” Levi started after clearing his throat. Hanji looked at him in surprise, confused as to why he’d be feeling awkward when she was in the wrong, and also because she had forgotten about her dance partner. “He dances with students when we’re short a man or someone needs a partner.”

 

“Ah,” Hanji said, grateful. “That’s good. I’ll apologize to her next week.”

 

There was another awkward pause, and Hanji wished Nanaba had stayed. Her tongue just couldn’t work like Nanaba’s, and she felt like a tired sack of bones next to Levi, who was wearing that leather jacket again and looked too good for her. She knew he had to be wondering about her, but he didn’t ask about it. She realized that he was giving her the same treatment she had given him about Rico; he was waiting for her to tell him on her own.

 

It made her want to cry.

 

“I got a B+ on one of my midterms,” Hanji started. She shut her eyes against the harshness of her voice and the feeling of failure that rose up in her throat. “I also barely managed an A- on another.”

 

“Those are good grades,” Levi stated.

 

She knew he would say that; it was exactly what Nanaba and Gerger had said in the past.

 

“I have to keep my GPA as high as possible,” Hanji explained. “I haven’t been able to hold a steady 4.0, but the higher it is when I finish my Bachelor’s, the easier it’ll be for me to get into grad school.”

 

“You’re going for your Master’s?” Levi looked impressed.

 

Hanji nodded and sighed. “Yeah. So I kind of freaked when I saw my midterm. I thought, ‘What else have I forgotten?’ and decided to start from the beginning.”

 

“You’re really dedicated,” Levi commented.

 

Hanji raised her eyebrows at the unexpected compliment. “Really?” She chuckled. “Most people would just call me a perfectionist, or crazy.”

 

“Most people would just review what the test covered, if they reviewed at all,” he said.

 

“Yeah, I’m definitely not most people,” she agreed. “I just have people I want to impress, and it’ll take all I’ve got to do that.”

 

“Your family?” Levi’s question was quiet, as if he wasn’t sure he could ask it.

 

“Yeah.” Hanji leaned forward to rest her elbows on her knees. She stared at the little cracks and details in the concrete. Levi was pretty observant himself, though even she knew the encounter with her sister didn’t look like a normal scene between two family members. Nothing about her was normal.

 

Hanji had never told Nanaba about her family; it just never came up or she dodged tentative questions on the excuse that she didn’t want to bore her friends with depressing family drama that was in the past.

 

 _‘But Levi came all the way out here ‘cuz I screwed up,’_ Hanji thought, taking a deep breath to brace herself. ‘ _I owe him an explanation, and I can’t really avoid it if I have any hope of gaining his trust.’_

 

“I had a rough time in high school,” she began. “My dad died before I entered ninth grade, and my mom moved us all in with her parents. Her side of the family is really conservative and they never approved of my dad. On top of that, I was a tomboy, unlike my sisters, who were proper little girls with proper interests.

 

“Living with them just increased the pressure on my mom, and there was a lot of tension between us because I didn’t want to change,” Hanji paused, but Levi didn’t say anything. She sat up and put her hands in her lap. Even now, she sat with her legs open a bit, not clamped together. She snorted at herself and continued.

 

“I was really hot-tempered back then,” she said. “I got into fights a lot, using my words against my mom and my fists against other kids. I was always angry. I started hanging out with bad kids, wrecked some stuff and got into more fights. I stopped paying attention to my grades, too, and that just made things worse at home.”

 

There was more to it than just that, but Hanji didn’t feel ready to dump even more on Levi. This alone was hard enough for her to say, because it was the first time in several years she told someone about her home life.

 

“You decided to focus on your studies so you could become someone that would make your mom proud.” Levi suddenly said, making the connection. He nailed it so correctly that it was Hanji’s turn to look at him in surprise.

 

“Yeah,” she said, looking back down. She felt her fatigue hit her again. “Yeah. I mean, even when I was a kid I liked building stuff, ‘cuz of my dad. When I learned about different types of engineering, it turned out to be really a interesting field!. But my goal has been just that, to be someone great in order to get Mama to talk to me again.”

 

It was something that Hanji knew she was doing all along; it wasn’t an unconscious decision. It was, however, the first time she ever said it out loud, even to herself. She felt a mess of embarrassment, regret, and disappointment.

 

“So,” Levi broke in, alleviating the awkward pause. “You dove into studying. And sometimes, you get too focused, like tonight.”

 

Hanji nodded, grateful for his prompting.

 

“I was really bad in freshman year of college. I didn’t have any friends, and there aren’t as many rules like in high school,” she said. “I spent a lot of time in the labs or library. Nanaba has been my roommate since freshman year. She got really worried ‘bout me and started hanging out with me, and intervening when I got too bad. I got better about socializing and sleeping in my own bed and not the labs during sophomore year.”

 

“And then you relapsed after you saw your midterm,” Levi finished, getting the story to the present.

 

“Yup,” Hanji said. “It was probably also from seeing Dani again. It really caught me off guard, and reminded me of everything I’ve been working for, so it felt like I was failing.”

 

They sat in silence again, this time with Levi taking everything in and Hanji wondering if he was ready to get up and leave her on the bench.

 

A hand suddenly tugged on her jacket, and she squeaked.

 

“You looked like you were about to run away,” Levi said, frowning at her. “Sit back down. I’m not gonna ditch you.”

 

Hanji laughed nervously and leaned back into the bench. She hadn’t even realized that she had leaned forward in her seat. He sighed.

 

“Usted no es el único con un pasado loco,” he said, his Spanish slow and careful.

 

Hanji’s jaw fell open. “You know Spanish?” she exclaimed, and then smacked her forehead. “Aw duh, high schools usually require at least two years of a foreign language, huh?”

 

“I took it for all four years,” Levi said, a smirk flashing across his face. “I’m a bit rusty, though.”

 

“That wasn’t bad at all,” Hanji said. She made a solemn vow to herself to make Levi speak Spanish more in the future if she had the chance. The effect from just one sentence was akin to watching him dance. She inhaled and exhaled deeply, and leaned her head back against the back of the bench.

 

“Levi, I’m sorry for missing class, and making you come out here. Thanks for listening, too,” she said. She was sincerely grateful for him being there, but she couldn’t shake the feeling of being a burden.

 

 _‘I just wanted to dance with him at first,’_ she thought, shutting her eyes. _‘But the more I saw of him, the more intrigued I got. Even now, he surprises me; he’s always so rough, almost rude, but he’s also patient, and kind.’_

 

Hanji felt Levi lean into her side.

 

“Levi!?” she squawked in surprise, freezing up.

 

“I’m cold,” he griped, ignoring her and shifting so that he was nearly burrowed into her side.

 

“You’re like a cat,” Hanji said, laughing to ignore the furious beating of her heart.

 

“Furball rubbed off on me, I guess,” Levi said, apparently unbothered by their very close contact.

 

“Your cat’s name is Furball? I’ve never had a pet, but I play with Nanaba’s cat when I visit in the summer,” she said. “You probably won her over when you said you own a cat.”

 

Levi smelled like the same soap she smelled on him before. She knew he had a thing for cleanliness, so she could hardly believe he was actually touching her like this. Her welding jacket was already known to smell pretty stinky, but her hair was also a mess and she probably had horrendous breath.

 

But here he was, next to her, and content enough to stay there.

 

Hanji rested her head on his shoulder. Words were beyond her; she was just feeling way too many things at once, though definitely more positive things than at the start of the evening. Levi didn’t say anything either; he shut his eyes and rested his head against her own.

  
She closed her eyes as well, and they sat like that for a long time, just breathing and feeling, together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHOA BACKSTORY AT LONG LAST.
> 
> The Spanish sentence translates into a really polite version of "You aren't the only one with a crazy past." This one is deliberately meant to sound like an awkward non-native speaker who learned in high school but high school happened around ten years ago, lol.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hanji learns some things and Levi realizes something he already knew.

Comforting people was one of many things that Levi wasn’t good at, but his attempt to help Hanji feel better must have helped a little, for she was now snoring quietly with her head on his shoulder. He let her sleep, and thought about what she confided to him. He got the feeling that Nanaba, who came across as being a good friend of Hanji’s, didn’t know what he’d been told.

 

_‘She trusts me enough to tell me,’_ he thought. _‘But not her friend of what, three years?’_

 

Levi marvelled at Hanji’s decision. Even in dancing, it always took time for others to warm up to him. New dance partners started out starry-eyed but quickly learned that the media and dance floor representation of Levi was not actually Levi. After the initial shock, it took time to gain the trust needed to perform well. The only person that ever warmed up to him this quickly was Isabel.

 

_‘I’ll have to call Isabel sometime and brush up on my Spanish,’_  he mused, reaching around Hanji to pluck a stray fuzz of her jacket.

 

Hanji didn’t stir at all, and continued to sleep with a relaxed expression on her face. He felt relieved to see the tension gone from it. Her expression back in the engineering lab upon seeing him there was going to haunt him for a while. He pulled his arm back and dug his phone out of his pocket. He dialed Nanaba’s phone from the recent call list, and noted that it was now almost eleven.

 

“Hello, Levi,” Nanaba answered on the first ring. She didn’t sound like he had woken her; instead, she sounded as if she was waiting for him to call.

 

“Hanji fell asleep,” Levi said. He decided Nanaba wasn’t too bad. She was friendlier than Levi’s taste but she was good at gauging people as evident in the way she handled him. “I can carry her to the dorm,” he offered.

 

“Sure, I’ll be down in a minute,” Nanaba said.

 

Levi hung up and carefully detached himself from Hanji. Missing her warmth already — he really had been cold —  he stood up and bent over Hanji to gently fold her over his shoulder. After he straightened up and adjusted her with a firm grip on her legs, Hanji only snorted once and continued to snooze. Levi rolled his eyes, but his lips twitched into a tiny smile.

 

When he walked over to the dorm building, Nanaba was waiting for him.

 

“Please tell me there’s an elevator,” he said dryly. Hanji wasn’t extremely heavy, but stairs were out of the question.

 

“There is,” Nanaba chuckled. “Out like a light, huh? Let’s get her to bed.”

 

Nanaba led him inside, waved at someone sitting at a desk by the entrance, and then guided him to an elevator.

 

“Hanji is my friend,” she said after hitting the fifth floor button three times. “She’s a good person, but I noticed that she tends to hold me and Gerger at arm’s length.”

 

Levi remained silent, but maintained eye contact when Nanaba looked at him. Her expression was thoughtful, not jealous.

 

“I’m a patient person, I don’t mind waiting for her to open up. I know what it’s like, to be considered an oddity by society,” she said, smirking. “And from what I’ve seen and know of you, it’s pretty likely that you’re the same.”

 

Levi returned her smirk. He definitely knew the feeling.

 

“I _am_ a bit disappointed, of course, that she reacted to you more than me,” Nanaba sighed, and then smiled with fondness as she looked at Hanji draped over Levi’s shoulder. “But it’s more important that she’s able to be happy, and she’s been hooked on you ever since that sidewalk performance.”

 

Levi felt his ego get stroked again, but as they stepped off the elevator, he was reminded of his earlier thoughts about Hanji’s acceptance of him. It was an alien feeling to him, knowing that there was someone who liked him for him. It was also a little unsettling.

 

Nanaba led him down a hall and unlocked a door. Inside was a small living area and a kitchenette, as well as four other doors. Nanaba crossed over to one and unlocked it. It was most definitely Hanji’s room, for what space on the floor, bed, and desk that wasn’t taken up by clothing, was filled with books, what looked like toolboxes, and more books.

 

Nanaba quickly pushed some clothes off the small bed and Levi carefully placed Hanji on it. When he managed to wrangle her jacket off, Hanji simply rolled over with a snuffle, leaving Nanaba to quickly pluck her glasses off as Levi struggled to pull up Hanji’s blanket without looking at the bra lying on top of it. He failed — he now knew that Hanji owned at least one black bra.

 

“I’ll make sure to wake her up for class in the morning,” Nanaba said, placing Hanji’s glasses on the desk. “Moblit already cleaned up her stuff for her at the lab.”

 

Levi took a quick look around the room before leaving. Two large diagrams were taped to one wall; one looked like a bridge, and he had no idea what the other was of. Both were heavily labeled and some of the notes looked as if someone wrote them right on the diagrams. On another wall was an arrangement of small posters of cars, probably torn from a calendar. Regardless of her goals, it was clear to Levi that Hanji’s interest in mechanics was for real.

 

“I’ll call her tomorrow about a make up session for the class she missed,” Levi said, following Nanaba back to the elevator.

 

“Is she doing well with dancing?” Nanaba asked. “She practiced with me for her first class, but I guess I’m no longer of use.”

 

“She’s better,” Levi snorted, remembering his first time watching Hanji dance and comparing it to her rumba demonstration at the car repair shop. “Feel free to take lessons yourself.”

 

“Hm, we’ll see. Hanji _does_ look like she’s been having fun learning,” Nanaba said.

 

“We’ll even let you lead,” Levi added as an afterthought.

 

Nanaba laughed at that, and bid him farewell.

 

\-------------------------------------

 

Hanji woke up to Nanaba’s gentle shaking. She sat up in her bed, feeling so groggy that she had to blink and look around for a minute to recognize where she was.

 

“Good morning, sunshine,” Nanaba chirped. “I’ve already got your coffee going, and yes, I made sure to make it strong this time.” She left the room let Hanji recollect herself.

 

Hanji grunted and squinted at her alarm clock. It was 5:30 in the morning. What day was it?  Fishing in her pockets for her phone, she noticed she was still in her jeans, t-shirt, and bra, but that wasn’t unusual for her. The phone told her it was Wednesday, October 29th, and that she had three missed calls and six new texts.

 

‘ _Oh, right.’_ Some hazy memories of yesterday started filtering through Hanji’s sleepy mind. _‘Nanaba came to get me, and Levi was with her.’_

 

One missed call was from Nanaba. The other two were an unknown number, probably Levi. Hanji opened the text inbox. There were three messages from Nanaba, one from another unknown number, and two from Levi.

 

“Good morning. Eat breakfast, drink more water than coffee today” Hanji blinked in surprise at Levi’s first text. She checked the timestamp; sure enough, it was sent at 4:52am. The second text read, “Are you free @6 tomorrow night? Can have makeup session to go over cha cha. Owe u for flat tire”

 

“sure” Hanji sent the reply without thinking, and then stared at the text.

 

_‘Well, there’s no use arguing with him,’_ she thought, yawning. The dinner scene from last night was coming back to her. _‘Eh? I remembered Levi wanted to talk, but how’d I get back here?’_

 

Her phone buzzed in her hand, startling her. Levi was apparently wide-awake bright and early this morning.

 

“Good See you then” Another text arrived just after it. “Also, please shower before class, your classmates will thank you for it”

 

Hanji remembered Levi pressed against her side as they sat on a bench in chilly night air with sudden clarity. He had stayed after her embarrassing confession, and even though he saw her in a really bad state, he still texted her and wanted to see her again, for she knew the flat tire was just an excuse. She had told him that the ride to work would cover the flat tire.

 

Tears pricked her eyes. Levi was still interested in her, despite her flaws. She flipped the phone shut to put her face in her hands.

 

“Hanji? Are you ok?” Nanaba stood in the doorway with a mug of coffee for Hanji. She was sitting next to Hanji on the bed in an instant. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

 

“More like what’s _right_!” Hanji laughed, wiping away a stray tear. “Nana, I’m done for, I’m in love with this guy.”

 

Nanaba cocked her head in confusion but smirked when she realized Hanji had to be talking about Levi. “You fell asleep on him, you know,” she said, handing Hanji the mug. “He carried you to your room.”

 

Hanji nearly dropped the mug. “He _what_? Please tell me, bridal style, or…?”

 

“Like a sack of potatoes over his shoulder,” Nanaba said, laughing. “You were so gone, you didn’t wake up even after we put you in bed.”

 

Hanji gurgled through her first sip of coffee, feeling warm in the face even before the hot liquid touched her lips.

 

“Well, he passes my initial inspection,” Nanaba declared, leaning back on her hands. “I’ll give my approval, for now. He’s in the probationary period.”

 

Hanji giggled, and then sighed. “I’m sorry for causing trouble again,” she said, looking down at her coffee. “I thought I was doing better. Guess not.”

 

Nanaba sat back up to wrap an arm around Hanji. “Hey, don’t think like that,” she said. “Gerger, Moblit, and I are your friends. We back each other up, we pick each other up off the floor, and we celebrate victories together. You’re not alone anymore, Hans.”

 

“I’d hug you back, but I’m holding coffee,” Hanji said, but she wiped away another tear and leaned into Nanaba’s side.

 

“Thinking of the coffee first? Maybe I’ll take back some of what I just said, hm?” Nanaba teased. She gave Hanji a squeeze. “Now go shower. It’s already six and you’ve got class in an hour.”

 

Hanji scrunched up her nose. “Yeah, I think I’ve fermented long enough to be used in one of Gerger’s brews.”

 

“We’ll call it the Engineer’s Gasoline Brew,” Nanaba chuckled.

 

Hanji showered, finished her pot of coffee, and went to class in high spirits. Moblit surprised her with a donut from the cafeteria, and fended off the professor while she shoved it in her mouth. She later found her books in a neat stack with scraps of paper as bookmarks to hold her place, and Moblit received an affectionate noogie from her.

 

Gerger and Nanaba caught her for a quick lunch in between classes, and while she was almost late for class, Hanji had laughed so much that she felt like the past few days happened years ago.

 

_‘I still feel a little anxious,’_ Hanji thought, as she tidied her desk that evening in her room. _‘But I just have to breathe and not let it take over. I’m ok. I have friends. I’m worth something.’_

 

She flipped her phone opened and stared at Levi’s newly formed contact listing, then giggled and spun around in a fit of joy. She couldn’t wait to dance again, even if it was still just for a lesson. Dancing was becoming a source of relaxing fun for her, thought she definitely needed to make sure her studies don’t slip again.

 

“can’t wait to chacha :D :D :D” Hanji sent a text to Levi on impulse. She put the phone on the desk to move a toolbox, but dropped the box with a thud when the phone buzzed.

 

“Good. I’m a stricter teacher during private lessons so be prepared. ;)”

 

Hanji uttered a noise cross between a squeal and a pterodactyl screech. _‘How on earth did I get sucked back into my books again when I have this guy waiting for me?’_

 

\-------------------------------------

Levi showed up at Red Shoes on Thursday at 5:30, and just as he entered the office, his cell phone rang. He cringed at the caller I.D., then answered it as he sat at his desk.

 

“Good evening, Levi,” said Erwin on the other end of the line.

 

Levi grunted in response.

 

“Just had a quick question. I  noticed you put in a request for marketing pay,” Erwin said, unfazed by Levi’s greeting.

 

Marketing pay was a tactic Erwin came up with to reward instructors who did work off the clock. The work had to lend itself to the promotion of ballroom dancing in the city, and was something Levi almost never used.

 

“A student of mine missed class last week because of school,” Levi explained, careful to sound as objective as possible. “She didn’t realize she could have a private session to make up for it.”

 

“And how does this help the spread of ballroom dancing?” Erwin prodded. His tone of voice sounded like he was being genuinely curious, but Levi knew he was picking apart Levi’s every word.

 

“The student shows a lot of promise and really enjoys ballroom dancing,” Levi went on. It wasn’t really a lie. “She was also distraught that she missed a class but couldn’t afford a private session.” Most of that wasn’t a lie either, but Levi figured it probably wasn’t too far off.

 

“Hmmm,” Erwin hummed, and went silent for a minute. Then, he laughed, and said, “It’s approved, Levi. You never use these hours anyway, unlike Mike. I was just curious to know why.”

 

Levi growled, annoyed that Erwin had led him on with so much tension for nothing. “Thanks for raising my blood pressure,” he grumbled.

“Have fun with Hanji,” Erwin said, chuckling as he hung up.

 

Levi tossed his phone on the desk with a loud noise of disgust. He pulled one of the stress balls out of his desk and squeezed it furiously for a while.

 

_‘So he knows. Ugh, of course he’d know by now, he’s not even in the same city and he always knows what’s going on around here,’_  Levi thought, rubbing his eyes with his other hand. His insomnia was flaring up again and he was feeling incredibly lethargic today. _‘At least he doesn’t seem to care.’_

 

Erwin’s knowledge of Hanji was something he’d have to contemplate later. The clock said it was 5:45 and Hanji was due to arrive soon. He put the ball away, walked past Mike’s class in Studio B, and entered Studio A. Hanji was there already.

 

“Hi!” she chirped. Her energy nearly blinded him. “The bus got here a little early today.”

 

Levi nodded and walked over to the speakers to plug up his music device. Hanji was wearing jeans and a t-shirt as usual, but her hair was tied back neatly and there was color in her cheeks. He was pleased to see that she looked much better than she did the other night.

 

“We’ll warm up first,” he said, getting down to business. He _was_ getting paid for this session, after all. “Then I’ll do a quick rumba review.”

 

Levi told the truth when he said he was more strict a teacher in private. Without needing to divide his attention for multiple couples, he could focus on individual dancers. Hanji took his clipped orders and suggestions in stride, though. She was attentive and while her actual performance was stiff she only needed to be told a step order once.

 

“Why was your box step so bad?” he asked, watching Hanji shuffle around in the first basic movement for cha cha.

 

“Dunno,” she said. “Guess I was so used to moving my hands, that I didn’t know how to move my feet.”

 

“Cha cha basics are really simple,” Levi said. He motioned for her to pause her dancing, and then stood behind her. “One of the key things to remember is to put your weight on the balls of your feet and to keep the motion of your body in the lower half.”

 

He put his hands on her hips, and some light pressure from them got Hanji dancing again, but with greater swinging of the hips.

 

“You’re still stiff,” he said, giving her hip a light slap. “C’mon, _move._ ”

 

Hanji snorted and made an obvious effort at exaggerating her hip movements.

 

“Good,” he said, backing away before his hands decided to act on their own. “It might feel stupid, but you get used to it, and everyone else is doing the same thing.”

 

“So the sillier I feel, the better?” Hanji giggled.

 

“Yeah, for the most part,” Levi said, shrugging. “The woman always seems to be the spotlight, but the man is important, too, especially since they lead. So, you still gotta be just as flashy as the follow.”

 

“Hm! I’ll remember that,” she said.

 

Levi took her through the closed, open, and alternative basic movements, and then brushed her up on the rock step, the New york, and spot turns. Hanji loosened up more, and she was enjoying herself so openly that even Levi started to have fun. He felt a little smug; dancing was _supposed_ to be fun, after all.

 

“So, how’d you get into ballroom dancing, Levi?” Hanji asked. He had partnered up with her for a short, basic routine and they were now dancing to perky music with Spanish lyrics.

 

“My school years were kinda violent too,” he said, silently motioning for Hanji to keep working her hips. “I’m sure you can guess why.”

 

“Your strong stature and your rosy, glowing complexion?” Hanji smirked.

 

“Congrats, your glasses are working,” Levi returned the smirk. “You forgot my sunny disposition, though.”

 

He stopped them for a moment to correct some of Hanji’s steps, and then resumed.

 

“Don’t worry, I never beat up the bullies _too_ badly. In junior year, though, the school was getting tired of seeing me in the office and threatened to expel me if they caught me in a fight again,” Levi said. “I lasted two hours. Got jumped after school ended that day.”

 

Hanji cringed. “Seems like you also have quite the magnetism as well.”

 

“Mike and Erwin happened to be loitering around and intervened.” Levi to this day still believed that it was no coincidence, but Erwin always denied having any kind of scheme prior to that afternoon.

 

“Is Mike the big guy who teaches here too?” Hanji asked.

 

Levi nodded. “Erwin had half the school in his pockets and told them that instead of expelling me, they could enroll me in dance classes to reform my attitude.”

 

Hanji stopped dancing to stare at him in disbelief. “Wait, what?” She laughed. “Who _does_ that?”

 

“Erwin Smith does that. Said he was inspired by a movie,” Levi said, shrugging. “I stuck with it, thought it did absolutely nothing for my personality.”

 

“Well, that’s ok,” Hanji said, a wide grin on her face. “I don’t think you need changing at all.”

 

Levi blinked at the sudden, cheerfully delivered compliment and turned away to fiddle with the music instead. He felt his cheeks tingle and cursed the blood rising in them.

 

“You did well for the simple routine,” he said, choosing to ignore Hanji’s statement and moving on with the lesson. “This next routine is a little more advanced. They’re both good if you wanna show off at the club, but this one is flashier and won’t make your partner fall asleep.”

 

Partner. Who _would_ be Hanji’s partner, after the class ended? How many more classes was Hanji willing to take? Questions tickled the back of Levi’s mind as he walked Hanji through the routine. He couldn’t lie to himself anymore; it would be nice to have a regular partner again.

 

“Do I have to wiggle my hips like that, too?” Hanji’s question got his attention.

 

“If you don’t, you’ll look like one of those dancing Christmas snowman toys,” Levi warned her.

 

“The kind that make awkward hip thrusts?” she asked, already getting into position.

 

“Yeah.” Levi settled into the starting position and when the song reached a good spot to hop in at, he motioned for Hanji to start.

 

She snapped into action and moved around Levi in a circle. Levi watched with approval as she finally worked her hips and lower body like she should. They came together for a basic and cross step, and Levi felt himself relax into his role as the follow. She twirled him around, they did a rock step, a New York was performed, and that was about all Levi could remember when it came to specific dance steps. The rest he did on auto-pilot, because Hanji now had his full attention.

 

She maintained steady eye contact with him, breaking it only when they had to turn away from each other. She had that intense look in her eyes, but it was offset by the smile on her face. She moved out a little bit to swish her hips and he couldn’t help but track the movement. She came back in and clasped hands with him again; her hands felt like fire in his palms.

 

The routine was set to loop, so they would’ve continued to dance if the music hadn’t ended. Clapping startled them, and they both whipped their heads around to see Mike in the doorway.

 

“Wow, you guys didn’t notice me?” Mike said, surprised by their reaction. He grinned. “Ooo, you’ve been _real_ into it if you missed seeing _me._ ”

 

Levi glared at him. He had timed their session to be during Mike’s class, but he could see that their session had run over by nearly ten minutes. He hadn’t even noticed the passing of time, let alone the big man entering the studio.

 

“If I don’t focus, I’ll probably trip Levi or fall over him,” Hanji laughed, verbally waving off Mike’s comment. Levi was beginning to notice that Hanji was really good at deflecting words.

 

“That’s true, unlike me, he _is_ kinda easy to miss,” Mike cracked, and laughed at his own joke.

 

Hanji clapped a hand over her mouth and looked at Levi in apology for allowing an easy opening. Levi shrugged. It wouldn’t be the last height joke out of Mike’s mouth.

 

“I’m going to the bathroom, I’ll be right back,” Levi announced, heading to the mentioned destination. He needed to splash some cold water on his face.

 

\-------------------------------------

 

Hanji watched Levi leave the studio with amusement and wondered if it was to recollect himself. She certainly needed to. The little cha cha routine had been something on the edge of amazing, and she wished they could have kept going.

 

_‘I almost lost myself in those eyes of his,’_ she thought, giddy. _‘I didn’t think that was a thing in real life! I even forgot to feel silly while gyrating my hips.’_

 

“Your name _is_ Hanji, right?” Mike, the big, blonde instructor, was trying to get her attention.

 

“Huh? Oh! Yeah, Hanji!” Hanji said, startled. “Yeah, that’s me! Hanji!”

 

Mike snickered. “I heard a rumor that Levi got a new girlfriend. I’m Mike.”

 

Hanji shook his offered hand. It was as big as she expected; Mike was well over six feet tall and she only came up to his chin. The hand was warm and strong, but the grip itself was soft, which surprised her. Mike took a deep inhale through his nose and stepped back.

 

“So, are you also Levi’s new dance partner?” Mike asked, crossing his arm.

 

“Uh, no, just a student,” Hanji said. “I’m in his Latin class and I missed one.”

 

Mike made a face as if he made a connection to something, but before Hanji could think about what that could mean, he spoke again.

 

“You’re really weird smelling,” he said. “You smell like metal, fire, burnt stuff, coffee, and somethin’ else, kinda chemical-y.”

 

Hanji blinked at the strange analysis. “Ah, probably some chemicals from class yesterday,” she said, thinking back. “I spilled some on me, I guess I haven’t gotten it all out.”

 

“Are you a mechanic?” Mike asked. “I heard Levi’s car got fixed. That you?”

 

“Sorta of! I work part time at a repair shop,” Hanji explained. “I’m an engineering student at Sina Tech.”

 

“Man, you _are_ different from Rico,” Mike said, smirking.

 

“Mike, shut up.” Levi entered the studio, a disapproving frown on his face.

 

“You need to quit letting Rico drag you down,” Mike retorted. “Get a new partner, Levi.”

 

“If I wanted one, I’d have one,” Levi snapped.

 

Hanji remained silent, watching the exchange closely. Mike spoke with swagger in his words, but his tone and body language made it seemed forced. Levi, however, was getting riled up without noticing any hidden intent.

 

“Yeah right,” Mike said, rolling his eyes. “We’ve been over this before, but you still can’t get over Rico walking out on you.”

 

“Back off, Mike.” Levi’s voice was rippling with anger.

 

“Or what, you’ll tattle on me to Erwin?” Mike ignored the warning. “He wants to see you dance again too, so why haven’t you? It’s been three years already and you can’t seem to move on!”

 

Levi’s entire body was tense and his mouth was starting to draw back in a snarl. “It took three years to even remember why I dance,” he seethed. “Clearly you and Erwin forgot the humiliation I went through.”

 

“Levi, we just wanted to—” Mike was cut off by Levi.

 

“I know my own shortcomings. Remember? I’m not like you and Erwin,” Levi said, voice low and almost soft if not for the bite to the words.

 

He spun around on his heel in a quick, smooth motion — still a dancer even in his anger — and walked out of the studio without another word. Hanji heard his footsteps travel down the hall, vanish, then return to continue down the hall. Mike stepped out of the studio to look as a sound of a door shutting with force echoed down the hall.

 

“He left,” Mike said, stepping back in. The confidence on his face from earlier was gone, and was replaced with worry. “Sorry for making him mad and leaving you hangin’,” he said to Hanji.

 

“Well, he wasn’t _entirely_ angry, or at least, it wasn’t all directed at you,” Hanji said thoughtfully. Seeing Mike’s look of surprise, she explained. “Yeah, he was angry, but I think he was embarrassed, too, since I’m here and all. He’s not the type of person to stay on the ground after being knocked down, so he’s probably frustrated that it’s taken him so long to recover.”

 

Mike stared at her. “How do you know that?” he asked, scratching the hair on his chin. “Like, how do you understand him already? ‘Cuz I’ve known him since high school and I still don’t always get him.”

 

“We’re kinda similar, I guess,” Hanji said, grinning. “We’re both pretty weird!”

 

“Yeah, apparently,” Mike said, mustache twitching as he grinned back. “I’ve heard about you, Gail won’t shut up about how important it is to have standards and policies on proper footwear.”

 

“Oh, ouch, got stuck with her, huh?” Hanji said, giving Mike a look of sympathy.

 

“Nah, I can handle her,” Mike said, waving a hand. “Unlike Levi, _I_ can charm the ladies.”

 

Hanji left the studio after that; the session was technically done and Levi wasn’t coming back, so there was little reason to stay. On the bus, she replayed the entire session in her mind. The actual lesson itself had been fun. Cha cha was similar to rumba, she just needed to get used to the loose hip action. Hani recalled the moment when Levi put his hands on her hips, and she allowed herself a chuckle. Dancing with Levi had been wonderful as well.

 

_‘Man, I really want to see him cut loose!’_ she thought, wiggling in her seat. _‘He’s still holding back. But I’ve gotta be patient, he needs to come to me.’_

 

What had Mike meant about Rico walking out on Levi? Hanji remembered that while Levi said Rico was his ex, he never said what kind. Rico could have been his ex-fiancee, though probably not an ex-wife.

 

_‘But did she leave him at the altar?’_ Hanji wondered. _‘I doubt it, but I can’t be sure because I’m biased. Levi said he was humiliated and it affected his ability to dance. Well regardless, I’m glad he can dance again. I bet he’s come a long way.’_

 

Hanji really did relate to Levi. It wasn’t the same kind of relationship, but the feeling of suddenly being dropped by someone she loved was a really deep wound. It took Hanji a lot of time to recover from that, so it was probably no different for Levi. It would be a bit tough, but she could be patient a little longer to get the full story from Levi.

 

_‘Mike is pretty easy to read, though,’_  she thought, hopping off the bus after it pulled up to Sina Tech. _‘I’m surprised that Levi didn’t catch on that Mike was deliberately pushing his buttons. He changed tunes the moment Levi got really angry.’_

 

Mike looked and acted tough, but the moment Levi lashed out, Hanji caught a glimpse of hurt and regret on the big man’s face. He probably only meant to get Levi riled up, to get to the heart of Levi’s reluctance to find a dance partner, but it backfired and only reminded Levi of his own flaws.

 

The way the two men spoke to each other definitely proved that they had been friends for years, despite Mike’s claim of not understanding Levi.

 

‘ _I wouldn’t be surprised if Mike apologizes to him,’_  Hanji thought, smiling to herself. _‘He had “giant puppy dog” written all over him.’_

 

\-------------------------------------

 

Levi wasn’t surprised by Mike’s apology, either. In fact, he prepared for it, by cleaning his apartment the moment he got home after leaving the studio. Cleaning also helped to calm him down, so that when Mike showed up at his door around nine with a six pack of beer, two pizzas, and Mario Kart, Levi merely let him in without a word.

 

The pizza was hot and tasted good. The beer, not so much, but Levi drank it anyway to continue the show of accepting Mike’s apology. Mike had a habit of awkwardly shuffling around whenever he did something wrong and would continue to do so until the other person would make it obvious that he was forgiven.

 

Levi finally broke the tension when Furball hopped up on Mike’s lap as they sat down for Mario Kart. “I don’t get why he likes you so much,” he said, picking up his controllers. “You’re probably covered in cat hair.”

 

“Animal magnetism,” Mike said, and then laughed at his joke, startling the black cat draped across his lap.

 

Levi groaned and selected the game from the Wii menu. With the tension relieved, conversation for a good half hour after that mostly consisted of grunts of imagined pain from Mike, swears from Levi, and the telltale sound effects of someone shooting off of Rainbow Road.

 

When the score was Levi: 3 and Mike: 2, and there was only one beer left, both men felt comfortable enough to talk about the argument.

 

“Are you still that bummed about it?” Mike asked. “About Rico dumping you, I mean.”

 

Levi shrugged. While the beer wasn’t enough to get him drunk, he was fed, warm, and cozy in his curled-up spot on the small couch. Mike wasn’t on fire like Hanji, but had enough body mass to make up for it and took up three quarters of the couch, so there was no escaping the man’s body heat.

 

“She didn’t dump me. We both broke it off,” Levi corrected him. After a pause, he admitted, “I don’t have any feelings for her anymore.”

 

After they broke up, Levi had thought something was wrong with him because he got over the actual romantic relationship quicker than he expected. It had been dancing that was harder to get back into.

 

“It’d be nice if we could still talk to each other again,” Levi continued. “But she’s still holding a grudge against me, apparently.”

 

“What, you’ve seen her lately?” Mike asked, arching an eyebrow. “When was this?”

 

“She had students competing in the same competition as Eren and Annie,” Levi replied. “She insulted them, me, _and_ Hanji, and we only talked for a couple minutes. She hasn’t lost her touch.”

 

Mike scrunched up his face, annoyed. “She did _what_? Ugh, she was kinda snooty even way back then, but that’s just wrong, man.”

 

“Rico deals with her hurt differently than I do,” Levi said. “She lets everyone in the vicinity know when she’s angry.”

 

“Well, I wouldn’t mind it if you were a little more open with your issues,” Mike mused. “You keep to yourself too much. I didn’t know you took Hanji to Eren’s competition.”

 

“I didn’t take her, I invited her, and she showed up,” Levi said.

 

“What a horrible date you are,” Mike tsked, shaking his head. “She seems pretty cool though. I give my blessing.”

 

“As if I needed it,” Levi scoffed. “I’m not gonna report my every move to you like you do to Erwin.”

 

MIke retaliated by winning the race, bringing the score to a tie.

 

“We could hang out with her sometime,” Mike offered. “Does she like video games?”

 

“Dunno,” Levi replied. They started one last race and after some consideration, Levi said, “She probably does.”

 

“And for the record,” Mike started, but paused to launch a green shell at Levi. “I don’t always report to Erwin. I just told him you were gunning for a weird chick named Hanji.”

 

Levi evaded the shell and passed Mario. “That’s all you needed to say,” he grunted. “Give Erwin five words and he gets a whole essay out of it.”

 

“You give Erwin a lot of credit,” Mike said. He bumped Peach out of the way. “You make him sound like some kinda mastermind.”

 

Levi didn’t know what to say to that. Erwin was certainly a force to be reckoned with; the government should be thankful that he was focused on ballroom dancing and not politics. Levi wasn’t sure if he could say he respected Erwin all the time, but he did trust him to a certain degree, which meant a lot when it came to Levi trusting anyone. And Erwin had done a lot for Levi while only wanting Levi to enjoy ballroom dancing in return, for the most part.

 

“Plus, he was worried,” Mike added, dodging Levi’s bananas. “We both were. You were real dark ‘n gloomy for a while. You’re much better now, though, thanks to that Eren kid. Maybe Hanji too. You’ve been almost perky this whole month.”

 

Levi tried to focus on the race, but the weird, tingly sensation from Tuesday was creeping back. Hanji wasn’t the only one with friends who cared. He had never called Erwin and Mike “friends”, but they couldn’t be anything else because ever since they met in high school, they were always just _there_.

 

He allowed the warm, fuzzy feeling to persist for a bit, and then proceeded to beat Mike in the race.

 

“Why do I keep coming in second place?” Mike grumbled, then yawned. “Can I crash here?”

 

Levi got up with some reluctance and grabbed the blanket that was on the only other chair in his living room. Mike chuckled at Levi’s foresight and caught the blanket when it was thrown at him.

 

“Thanks, man,” Mike said, snuggling into the couch. His legs hung over the end of it, making him look quite ridiculous. Furball hopped up on him the moment the blanket was spread out, and started kneading the blanket with his paws.

 

Levi shook his head and went to his bedroom after turning off the bedroom light and double-checking the locks on the apartment door.

 

He closed his bedroom door, but left a crack for Furball to squeeze through, though Levi doubted he’d leave Mike all night. Levi’s bedroom was like the rest of his small apartment; clean, organized, and bordering on minimalist. A king-sized bed, one of the few comforts he splurged on, was in the middle of the room. After changing into a pair of sweatpants, he grabbed his phone and hopped into bed.

 

“You still awake?” he sent as a text to Hanji. The clock on the nightstand said it was after midnight, but it was worth a shot and he wasn’t going to be sleeping anytime soon.

 

Hanji was still up. A text came, saying, “Yup!”

 

Levi dialed her phone. Texting was too cumbersome for what he wanted to say. Hanji picked up, but then there was a loud clatter, and the line died. Rubbing his abused ear, Levi waited for Hanji to call back. She did.

 

“Oh man, I’m _so_ sorry,” she said when he answered. “You scared the crap outta me and I dropped the phone and it flipped shut and—”

 

“It’s alright,” Levi said, cutting off her hushed jumble of words. “I wanted to apologize for leaving earlier.”

 

Mike was no big deal. It was an old argument and he knew Mike was just pushing his buttons again, but he got riled up because he was tired and cranky from not sleeping well the last couple of nights. Also, it was done in front of Hanji, and while he knew she was curious to know about his past, that wasn’t the way he wanted to her learn about it. That, and it just sucked to have his shortcomings put out in the open.

 

“Oh! That’s ok, I didn’t mind,” Hanji said, voice still quiet for the sake of her neighbors. “The session was over anyway, right? Thank you for it, by the way. I had a lot of fun.”

 

“Good,” Levi said. A thought occurred to him. “You’re not in a studying spree again, are you?”

 

“Huh?!” Hanji sounded surprised and there was a flutter of paper. “No! Not really, I’m just doing homework. I have an assignment due in the morning. I’m almost done though, and I’m already lying in bed. Honest!”

 

Levi snorted. “Calm down,” he said. He was silent for a moment; his business was taken care of, what should he say now?

 

Hanji didn’t speak either, and he heard some papers rustle again. His mind scrambled for something to say, but then Hanji broke the silence.

 

“There, all done,” she said. “I’ve put my books away — well, on the floor, haha — but I did have one question. You don’t have to answer it, of course.”

 

Levi was prepared for this. It was only a matter of time before Hanji’s curiosity got the better of her. “Sure,” he said.

 

“Mike said that Rico walked out on you,” she said. “What did that mean?”

 

“She walked out on me on the dance floor,” he said, after a deep breath. “We already having a rough time in the relationship, and during a competition, it just came to a peak, I guess, and she left me on the dance floor in the middle of it.”

 

“Oh!” There was relief in Hanji’s soft exclamation. “Sorry, I thought that maybe she left you at the altar. NOt that that would bother me, I mean!”

 

The idea of marriage had crossed his mind, but not really in relation to Rico. By the time they started settling into the relationship between all the dancing, the Incident, as Erwin liked to call it, happened, and the relationship crumbled after that.

 

“No,” he said. “We never got that far.”

 

“Mmkay,” hanji said. “Thanks for answering. I might actually sleep tonight.”

 

“At least one of us will,” he quipped without thinking.

 

“You did seem kinda tired today. Not sleeping well?” she asked.

 

“Insomnia. It’s been keepin’ me up lately,” he replied. It wasn’t as bad as it had been in high school, though. Back then, he’d be awake all night. At least he was managing three or four hours of sleep.

 

“Hm. Is it a medical condition?” Hanji asked. “Do sleeping pills work? Is this something new, or has it happened before? Oh, I wonder if that’s where your eye bags come from. Is there a trigger for it or does it stay active?”

 

Levi cleared his throat and Hanji stopped her stream of questions.

 

“Eek! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to get carried away!” she apologized frantically.

 

“S’alright. It was worse in high school, it’ll pass. I don’t trust sleeping pills, though,” Levi said.

 

He had a theory that it was probably from seeing Hanji in the lab. It wasn’t her fault specifically, but it made him remember things from his high school years and earlier so it was likely just stress-induced.

 

“I don’t mind your eye bags by the way,” Hanji said. “They give you that dark, angsty bad boy look.”

 

“But I _am_ an angsty bad boy,” Levi said, with mock offense.

 

“Yeah, ok,” Hanji said, stifling a yawn. “Man, your voice is a horrible weapon over the phone, I swear I wasn’t this sleepy a few minutes ago.”

 

Levi smirked. He’d have to remember that. “Good night, Hanji,” he said, deliberately putting a purr to his words.

 

Hanji sputtered on the other end of the line. “Good night, Levi,” she squeaked.

 

They hung up and Levi put his phone on the bedside, feeling like he scored a victory over all the times Hanji had sung his name. He turned off his lamp and got under the covers.

  
He probably still wouldn’t sleep well, but his heart was at ease.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [The "advanced" cha cha routine](http://youtu.be/1CXGwc617sQ) that Levi teaches to Hanji. Their "simple" routine was also the one in mind for that scene. Actually, their whole little set of how to learn cha cha is what I went off of, haha.
> 
> ALSO!! It's come to my attention that A LOT OF PEOPLE READ THIS. Like, 3,000 or so on Archive alone apparently. THAT'S AMAZING. Pardon my caps but I can't believe it still! Thank you to everyone, I'm so appreciative of you guys! A reminder that [this is my Tumblr](http://glitchikinnsblog.tumblr.com/) and I do track the tag "fic: allowance", AND also if you see me at cons, don't feel bad about talking to me, I promise that when I find out you read it, I will likely be way more excited about it than you are, trust me, it's awesome.  
>  _  
> (Also I'm going to another con in November [Daisho woot woot] and others will be put up on my blog as we get into them so find us in the alleys and I'll give you free Levihan freebies, also also, eventually I am gonna put up a special Allowance print for sale in our online store, more to come when it's actually, you know, drawn lol)_


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unexpected bonding time happens on some hardwood floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before I let you guys have at the new chapter, I just wanted to say, LOOK! Today is 9/19! The actual date chapter 1 takes place on! -cue nerd fit over own fanfic- I didn't expect this to still be going when this day actually rolled around in real life. Not only that, but my follower count on Tumblr has pretty much _doubled_ , this fic has reached over 50k words (novel length!!), and has had over 3,000 hits.
> 
> You guys have been **absolutely fantastic to me.**
> 
> After encountering actual fic readers in person at conventions and hearing some interest, I've made an Allowance print that you can buy from either our [Etsy](https://www.etsy.com/listing/204176353/allowance-levihan-attack-on-titan?) or on Society6 (S6 link will be added later, watch my Tumblr for news). I don't know if any of you guys will actually buy it, but feel free to like it and reblog it on Tumblr at the least, lol.
> 
> And now, the chapter. :D

Halloween came and went — Hanji spent it at Sergio’s shop — and November entered with a definite chill in the air and a persistently gray sky. It was blue and cloud-free in Hanji’s mind, however.

 

Over the weekend, Levi had taken to sending her a text in the morning with a simple “Good morning.” each time, with Hanji replying with the same thing. At night, she would send him a “Good night!” before going to bed, and he’d return the favor. It was simple and they didn’t text each other beyond that. While Hanji figured it was because they were just starting to get to know each other, those texts alone were enough to make her happy, like an added boost to her morning coffee.

 

On Monday evening, Hanji sat with Nanaba and Gerger in the cafeteria. She had agreed to eat dinner with them there in an effort to keep from being sucked into her books again.

 

“Hey Hanji, check this out,” Nanaba said. She had been fiddling with her laptop, and spun it around for Hanji and Gerger to see.

 

It was a Youtube video with the title _East Coast Crystal Ball Championship — Final Rumba_. Nanaba pulled her earbuds out and ballroom dance music was heard playing as couples walked out onto the dance floor in the video.

 

“Levi!” Hanji exclaimed, recognizing him and Rico right away when they walked out on the dance floor. She only used the internet for homework; it was too easy to get sucked into other things. After she once spent five hours on Wikipedia alone, she gave herself a ban on internet, so looking up Levi online had never occurred to her.

 

“Which one?” Gerger asked, as the camera zoomed out to show the entire room.

 

Nanaba reached over to replay Levi’s entrance.

 

“He’s so short!” Gerger laughed. “He looks like a mafia hitman.”

 

In the video, Levi was wearing a suit with his hair slicked to the side except for one stray strand across his forehead. Rico was in a silver, sparkly dress and her glasses were missing. She was all smiles for the competition while Levi was all smirks and cocky glances.

 

Hanji and her friends watched as the couples performed, with Hanji wishing the camera would only focus on Levi and Rico.

 

“Well,” Gerger said, after the video ended. “He can dance.”

 

“I would hope he can,” Hanji laughed. “I’m paying him to teach me how.”

 

“Hey, look, this one is just him and the girl,” Gerger said, reaching out to click on a video from the recommended list. “What’s jive?”

 

“Dunno,” Hanji replied. “I get to find out next week, I think.”

 

This video was for a different competition, but the camera only followed Levi and Rico. This time, Levi was more natural-looking in black pants, a low-cut black shirt, and unstyled hair. Rico was in another dress, but without so many patches of skin showing, and it was black. The music was surprisingly upbeat and energetic, as was the dancing. The steps were almost frantic, and it was hard to focus on Levi because of the pace.

 

“Wow, this has like a 1950’s feel to it,” Gerger said, raising a thin eyebrow. “Or is it the 40’s…? Anyway, this is also ballroom dancing? It looks a lot different than the other one.”

 

“Guess so,” Hanji said. “Levi said we might get to it if we have time. I’ll tell you about it if we do.”

 

Gerger hummed in response as Nanaba took back the laptop.

 

“That was a really happy dance,” Nanaba said. “I’ll have to admit, he doesn’t seem like the type to do that kinda stuff.”

 

Hanji snorted and said, “He’s good at acting.” But, even though she could tell that some of the smiles were fake, the energy and effort Levi put forth were not. He really did love to dance.

 

“I dunno about the other dances, but that jive one looked like fun,” Gerger said. He drained the last of his soda and look at Nanaba. “Maybe we should get in on this, Nana. Could be fun.”

 

“You could certainly use a bit more grace in your life,” Nanaba agreed. “You just dribbled soda everywhere.”

 

Gerger let out a distressed groan and he tried to dab his shirt with a napkin. “So the lady Levi was dancing with,” he said, changing the subject. “Was that the ex?”

 

“Yeah,” Hanji said, leaning back in her chair. “She’s really feisty, too, I’m glad we’re not in competition for Levi.”

 

“I dunno, man, I think you could take her in a fight,” Gerger said, winking as he gave up on his shirt.

 

“Ha! I don’t do that anymore!” Hanji laughed. She thought for a moment. “Well, I would, if she swung first, of course, but I don’t think that one would resort to physical violence over a man. She doesn’t seem the type.”

 

“I don’t think you need to worry, Hans,” Nanaba said, grinning. “You’re right, Levi _is_ into you. I could tell when I met him.”

 

“Can we quit talking about how Nana got to meet the boyfriend and I didn’t?” Gerger pouted. “I missed all the action!”

 

“You’ll have your chance,” Nanaba said. “I think Levi’s going to be sticking around for a while, after what I’ve seen of him. Hanji’s got him.”

 

Hanji considered this. If Levi had been truly bothered by her, he would have ignored her advances, especially after last Tuesday.  “Yeah,” she said, slowly. “You’re right.”

 

Nanaba blinked at the change of tone.

 

“Sorry,” Hanji said sheepishly. “My last boyfriend didn’t last too long. I scared him off because I was, uh, too intense, I guess.”

 

“He didn’t like the Sherlock thing?” Gerger asked, teasing Hanji but with a frown lurking behind it.

 

“Haha, well, it wasn’t so much that,” Hanji replied. She tapped her chin thoughtfully. “I think he liked me ‘cuz we were both into engineering and cars, but after a week, he realized that there was a huge difference in our level of passion. I’m not just a girl who happens to like machines. I live and _breathe_ them!”

 

“Until we step in, anyway,” Nanaba cracked, a smile on her face.

 

“I can sympathize with you on that, though,” Gerger said, sounding glum. “Having beer and other alcoholic beverages on your list of hobbies and interests often gives the wrong impression. I’m not in it to get drunk or party.”

 

“And I think we all know why people would trip over me,” Nanaba said as she gave Gerger’s shoulder an affectionate squeeze. She then added, “Well, then again, I _do_ tend to do that on purpose.”

 

Hanji grinned. She was feeling really lucky to have made friends with Nanaba and Gerger. They made her feel a little less weird when it came to her looks, interests, and even life goals. Neither of them really fit into typical society norms, with Nanaba’s passion for studies on gender in society and Gerger’s entrepreneurial ambitions.

Hanji liked them, a lot, and it was starting to become evident that, like Levi, they were here to stay.

 

\---------------------------------------------

 

The next day, Hanji arrived at Red Shoes almost an hour early in her excitement to see Levi again. Moblit had been stunned to see her pack up right after class, and said it was weird to see her so eager to leave the lab.

 

“Sorry, Hanji,” Nifa told Hanji when she arrived. “Levi’s not here yet.”

 

Disappointed, Hanji headed to the bathroom to use it, and to figure out what to do until Levi showed up. ‘ _I wonder if I should just practice,’_ she thought, exiting the bathroom. _‘Yeah! I should probably loosen up my hips before class. At least no one can see me, hah!’_

 

Before she could move towards a studio, loud music suddenly erupted from one, with someone saying a quick “Oops!” as the volume was brought down. Curious, Hanji walked over to peek into Studio A. Inside was Eren, who was leaning over the music speakers.

 

He restarted the song, one that Hanji recognized as being popular on the radio and something to do with fireballs and sexy dancing, and Eren stepped away while rotating his arms around his neck.

 

Hanji noticed that not only was he in jeans, a T-shirt, and sneakers instead of dance apparel, but that there was also a Band-Aid on his cheek. The music had a peppy tempo, and Eren was soon dancing to it with what looked like a cha cha.

 

_‘Or is it a rumba?’_  Hanji thought, watching Eren carefully. _‘There’s still so much I don’t know! There’s definitely more steps to these dances than what we learned so far.’_

 

Eren twirled and hopped around the studio, oblivious to Hanji’s presence. About halfway into the song, he stopped using the vaguely familiar dance steps of ballroom, and just danced freely. Hanji grinned as he leapt and spun around the dancefloor.

 

_‘His expression looks more relaxed now,’_  Hanji thought. _‘Wonder if something happened?’_

 

Not that it was much of a wonder. Band-Aids weren’t a fashion accessory. Hanji decided to make her presence known as the song ended, before Eren could catch sight of her in a mirror and possibly hurt himself.

 

“Bravo!” she said, clapping as she entered the studio. “Or do they not say that in ballroom dancing?”

 

Eren, who had just paused his dancing to catch his breath, turned in surprise. “Miss Hanji!” he said, and moved to turn the music down a notch. “I dunno, I’ve only been in one competition, and I was too nervous to pay attention to the audience.”

 

“Well, considering how well you did, I hope you guys get to enter another one,” Hanji said. “And I hope you take first!”

 

Eren flushed, and Hanji smiled. He was like an open book.

 

“Hey, need a partner?” she asked, clapping her hands together at the idea. “I got here too early, so I thought I could practice, or somethin’ like that.”

 

Eren perked up. “Oh! Uh, sure!”

 

They came together, and bumped hands when they lifted their arms.

 

“Shoot, that’s right,” Hanji said, disappointed. “I only know how to lead.”

 

“You lead?” Eren said, eyebrows shooting up. “But you’re a girl!” was the next thing he blurted.

 

“Well, I’m actually 22, so more of a woman than a girl, I’d like to think,” Hanji reasoned.

 

“O-oh, really? You look older,” Eren said, then cringed at his own implication. “Oh my God, I am so dumb. I’m so sorry!”

 

Hanji held back her laughter. _‘An open book and an open mouth,’_ she thought to herself. Outloud she said, “If you don’t want to dance with me…”

 

“No! I can dance!” Eren rushed to say. “Maybe we can make it work somehow?”

 

They stood together again. Eren was about two inches taller than Hanji, and it felt odd to be paired with someone taller than her. After some fumbling, they finally decided that Hanji’s left arm would sit on top of Eren’s left, and while their right hands were clasped together.

 

“Yeah, this is how it sorta is with Annie,” Eren said.

 

“Let’s see what we can do!” Hanji cheered.

 

The music was still playing, but they hopped in without waiting for a new song to start. Hanji immediately stepped forward as Eren did the same, but since their feet were on opposite sides, they avoided stepping on each other’s toes and only halted in confusion.

 

“Uh, let’s go side-to-side first,” Hanji suggested.

 

It took them the remainder of the song to get used to each other. By the time the next song started, they were shuffling around in the studio in what probably looked like a clumsy box step combined with triple steps and improvised turns and twists. Eventually, the two found a rhythm, and by the second song, Eren and Hanji were dancing and laughing together.

 

“Phew! This old lady needs a break,” Hanji said, halting after the song ended. The music Eren had played were pop songs that Hanji recognized from the radio, so they were mostly familiar to her. _‘Interesting,_ ’, she thought, wiping sweat from her forehead. _‘I didn’t think you could ballroom to Pitbull.’_

 

Eren had covered his face at Hanji’s old lady comment and she laughed at his embarrassment. They let the music continue to play, and sat on the floor.

 

“So,” Hanji started. “Did you come looking for Levi, too?”

 

“Sort of,” Eren said. “I knew he wasn’t gonna be here yet, but I figured I could borrow a studio for a bit until he showed up.”

 

“Well, I’m no Levi, but if you need any adult advice, maybe I can help!” she chirped.

 

She said it as an invitation, in case Eren felt open enough to talk about whatever happened to his cheek, but also gave him a way to decline. Dancing with him had put her close enough to his face to see that there was a light purple mark around the Band-Aid, and that another Band-Aid was across one of his knuckles.

 

Eren hesitated and looked away. Hanji was about to say something to change the topic, but then he spoke.

 

“I got in a fight,” he said, still not looking at Hanji. “I ran into...a guy, and we got into an argument, and I lost my temper. He swung first! But I haven’t gotten into a fight in _so_ long, I was doing so good…”

 

Hanji was suddenly assaulted by a wall of emotions, most of it sympathy for the kid next to her. She had suspected a fight, but Eren’s words hit a little too close to home, and not just because of her own recent relapse.

 

“Did the police get involved?” she asked, legitimately worried.

 

“No!” Eren’s reply was quick. “No, Annie broke us up. She’s far more scarier than the cops.’

 

“The other guy isn’t gonna call them, is he?” she asked next.

 

“No. We, uh, reached a, uh, agreement,” Eren said, voice faltering as he sought a believable answer.

 

Hanji wondered who it was that Eren got in a fight with, but instead, she said, “Well, that’s good! As long as no one was seriously injured and you two made peace, it’s ok!”

 

She patted him on the back. Eren still looked disappointed in himself, but his furrowed brows relaxed a little and he unclenched his fists.

 

“I wanted to tell Levi,” he said, an embarrassed undertone to his words. “I learned the hard way ages ago that not telling him when I got in a fight is worse than telling him.”

 

Hanji chuckled, remembering the story Mina had told her. “Oh, yeah? I can see how that’d be terrifying.”

 

“He’s gonna be so mad,” Eren said slumping across his lap at the thought.

 

“I don’t think he will be,” Hanji disagreed, thinking about last week. “I haven’t known him as long as you have, but I think he’s much nicer than he comes across as. You just have to look at his actions instead of what he says.”

 

“He _is_ nice!” Eren’s head shot up. “Levi is so cool! Sometimes when I got in fights at school, he’d pick me up, and then we’d clean the academy or his apartment.”

 

He looked down again. “It was a lot better, cleaning until I calmed down, instead of going home to Mom yelling at me.”

 

Hanji made a connection between what she was hearing now and the dinner scene from Eren’s competition. Mrs. Jaeger had spoken about getting constant phone calls from the school. While the family looked at peace now, Hanji could easily see what sort of shouting matches could have gone down between mother and son. Mrs. Jaeger seemed to be a lot like Eren.

 

‘ _And Levi was called in to be a counselor,’_ Hanji thought, a smile twitching on her lips. _‘How amusing! Ballroom dancing has helped both of them stay in school.’_

 

“Ugh, I’m still mad at myself, though,” Eren groaned, leaning back on his hands. “I haven’t gotten in a fight all year.”

 

“Don’t stress about it. It takes time. I was like you, once,” Hanji said, propping her chin on her hand. “I got in tons of fights, too, but I also did worse than that. It took me a couple years to chill out.”

 

Eren’s eyes grew large, and Hanji burst out laughing.

 

“What’s that face for?” she said. “What kinda impression do I give?!”

 

“You just seem too nice!” he sputtered. “Well, you do kinda look like a guy, and you’re kinda weird, but I think you’re cool. You build rockets! So you’re smart?”

 

Hanji snorted. “I wouldn’t call myself a genius, but yeah, kinda smart, I guess.” She smiled. “Plus, I’ve mellowed out a lot since then. I don’t get so angry now these days.”

 

“What else did you do?” Eren asked, leaning forward in his curiousity. “Besides fighting, I mean.”

 

“Property damage, got busted with alcohol once, shoplifted a few times. But it was mostly property damage and fights on and off school grounds,” Hanji said. “I was always angry as a kid, ‘cuz my home life was awful. So I took it out on stuff, and on people.”

 

If Eren’s eyes got any wider, Hanji would fear for their health.

 

“So what happened?” he asked. “Did you find a Levi, too?”

 

Hanji bust a gut at that one, and just as the man himself entered the studio.

 

“Speak the devil’s name and he shall appear,” Levi said, voice dry.

 

“And hel-lo, Mr. Devil,” Hanji cracked, and laughed again. The view from the floor was nice; Levi was wearing a sleek, form-fitting sports shirt with a low neck.

 

“What are you two doing?” Levi asked, ignoring Hanji’s comment. “Exchanging high school war stories?”

 

“Sort of!” Hanji said, overriding Eren’s embarrassed sputtering. “Eren needing some cheering up!”

 

“Do you want me to leave?” Levi’s question was aimed at Hanji as he made eye contact with her, though Eren quickly said no.

 

“You can stay,” Hanji said, knowing it was Levi’s way of saying that he overheard some of their conversation from outside. She appreciated the question, though. “I’d probably wind up telling you eventually, anyway.”

 

Levi sat on the floor with them. Eren immediately sat up straight with proper posture, and Hanji chuckled.

 

“I wouldn’t say I found my Levi,” Hanji resumed her story. “More like I found two grandpas with hearts made of gold. I got held back a year because I let my grades fall really low, and my mom didn’t take to it too well. It was like...the breaking point for us, ‘cuz we’d been struggling with each other for a couple years.”

 

Levi’s face remained expressionless as she spoke, but his eyes remained on her. Eren was frowning and looking at his lap. He was probably remembering fights with his own mother.

 

“I left the house that night, and headed across town to wander around. I happened across an old car sitting in a garage, a great looking Mercedez-Benz from the 80’s, and I just got _so_ mad, that I picked up something and started wrecking it!” Hanji’s voice picked up as she started to get into her story. “And these guys came out, so I started fighting them. It took three men to hold me down, because at that point, I was so far gone.”

 

“Yeah,” Eren said, nodding. “I know that feeling.”

 

“The police came and picked me up. Turns out the car was in a car repair shop, so it wasn’t just someone’s car, it was a customer’s car, so more people got involved,” Hanji explained, cringing for added effect. “I wound up in juvenile detention.”

 

Eren’s eyes widened again, and this time, even Levi quirked an eyebrow.

 

“I got real lucky, though. The guy who picked up my case is a real great man. He’s handled misguided teens and other kids like me for like, three quarters of his life, and he’s like, 50 or 60-something,” Hanji described. “He saw me as more than a kid who did something bad, and investigated the entire situation.

 

“He talked to the car shop owner, he talked to my family, and he even talked to the guy who owned the car, ‘cuz it turned out that the car wasn’t there as a customer job on papers, it was a ‘for a friend’ type thing, so the car owner was the one pressing most of the damage charges.” She paused dramatically, seeing Eren completely absorbed by her story.

 

“But when my family came into the picture, the situation changed,” Hanji’s voice dropped with the seriousness of the situation. She couldn’t help but get wrapped up in the story; it _was_ her own experiences. “Zackly, the man in charge of my case, found out that my mom and I weren’t doing so well. I didn’t even mind staying in juvie, because it meant being away from her. When Zackly investigated her, he found out that Momma was at her limit like I was, and she just couldn’t handle being near me anymore.”

 

Eren looked like he was going to cry, which startled Hanji a little. She reached out and tousled his hair a bit, and laughed off the sudden gloom that had fallen on them.

 

“Aw, don’t look that way, there’s a happy ending to this, I promise!” she said. “Zackly also found out that Sergio, the owner of the shop, was pretty concerned about me. He was more interested in helping me, rather than pressing charges. Really threw Zackly and I for a loop, considering I broke his nose!”

 

Eren’s expression turned horrified, and this time, even Levi snickered at him. Hanji couldn’t even get sucked into the negative emotions that usually came with remembering her past, because Eren reacted to everything so openly. It was amusing, and even charming. Hanji hadn’t really intended to get so detailed, but it felt good to tell the story to people who personally understood.

 

“After lots of discussion between the adults, it was ruled that I was more in need of help rather than punishment,” she continued. “Zackly told the court that I had run away from home, which, while it hadn’t been specifically in my mind at the time, was pretty much true. I couldn’t go back home after that. Sergio also suggested that I work at his shop to pay for restitution, and also offered to become my guardian until I graduated from high school.”

 

“He really did that?” Levi broke in this time, a clear look of disbelief on his face.

 

Hanji giggled, knowing he was seeing Sergio in a different light. “He’s the other grandpa in this story, but don’t tell him I called him that. He pretends he’s still 35, not 55. In the end, I moved in with him and his wife. I was only charged for simple assault.”

 

“But what about the car?” Eren interrupted.

 

“Funniest part of the story, actually!” Hanji exclaimed. “Zackly learned that the reason the owner of the car didn’t have it on the papers was because he was keeping it quiet that he dinged up the bumper one night after he was driving home tipsy. He’s a pastor, so _naturally_ that’d look bad if people found out.”

 

Levi looked disgusted, but Eren simply snorted.

 

“Zackly convinced him to write it off as a charity case for a teen in need,” Hanji said, waving a hand. “In exchange, I helped fix his car personally. I also had to show up at his services every Sunday for about a year and participate in a few youth services.”

 

Eren shuddered. “Wow, though,” he said in awe. “You’re amazing.”

 

Hanji actually felt her cheeks blush. “What? Aw, no I’m not!” she protested. “What was I even getting at with all this? I rambled for so long, it’s nearly time for class!”

 

“Oh! That’s right!” Eren exclaimed, remembering the reason for their conversation. He turned to Levi. “Levi, I’m sorry! I got in a fight today!”

 

He shut his eyes and waited for Levi’s response. Levi just blinked and took a moment to digest it; Hanji assumed he was probably still switching gears from Hanji’s story to Eren’s confession.

 

“Hn,” he said, at last. “Well, I didn’t get a phone call from the police or your mom, so it must not have been too bad, right?”

 

Eren opened his eyes in surprise and nodded.

 

“Then good,” Levi said, standing. “You’ll do better next time. Now get home, I’ve got class to teach.”

 

Eren looked at Hanji with disbelief at first, but when she smiled at him with a “See?”, he broke out into a relieved grin.

 

“Thanks, Levi!” he said, hopping to his feet. He slapped a hug onto Levi, who froze on contact, and then dashed over to the speakers.

 

“I’ll see you guys later, then!” Eren said, and then paused in the studio doorway. “Thank to you too, Miss Hanji!” He waved, and then disappeared.

 

Hanji and Levi stood in the vacuum of silence that followed.

 

“Well,” she said, wondering how Levi had been able to keep up with Eren’s antics for so many years. “He’s very energetic.”

 

Levi grunted. His  hair was slightly ruffled from Eren’s whirlwind hug. It was adorable when matched up with the slightly embarrassed expression on his face. “What brought all that on?” he asked, looking up at her.

 

“I got here too early. I was looking for you,” Hanji admitted. “Eren was dancing off some steam, and I hopped in. We danced together, and it was really fun!”

 

“And probably a hot mess,” Levi said, but his lips smirked.

 

“Haha! Yeah, but it helped him cheer up,” she said, stretching her arms. “He was really upset about the fight, and your reaction to it. It reminded me of last week, so I started talking to him a bit.”

 

Realization dawned across Levi’s face as he also remembered last week. “Oh,” he said.

 

“I didn’t expect to go on for so long, though,” Hanji chuckled. “He’s just so earnest!”

 

“He can’t tell a lie to save his life,” Levi agreed.

 

One of the couples from class walked in, and greeted Levi as another pair followed them into the studio. Hanji felt a twinge of disappointment, but reminded herself that she’ll still get to see Levi all throughout class.

 

“Eren wasn’t lying,” Levi said, voice almost missed under the chatter of the other students. “You _are_ amazing.”

 

With that, he walked away, leaving Hanji’s face to burn and her heart to stutter.

 

\---------------------------------------------

 

Samba had different steps than rumba and cha cha, and more of them, so Levi wasn’t able to dwell on Hanji’s story much during class. It didn’t stop his mind — or eyes — from wandering, though.

 

‘ _Those two aren’t the type to tell strangers about themselves,’_ he mused, thinking about the unexpected sight of Hanji and Eren chatting about their pasts on the studio floor. He watched Franz wiggle his butt like he was supposed to, while Hannah laughed. _‘Ugh, teenagers. Then again, Hanji and Eren had similar issues, though I’m glad Eren didn’t do anything but use his fists.’_

 

Eren had only picked fights, and never did anything like shoplift or vandalize property. The kid had a black and white sense of justice combined with a short temper, and his parents just didn’t know how to handle him for a while. Hanji’s family was a different story; she had done nothing wrong in the beginning, except be herself.

 

_‘I admire her,’_ Levi realized, watching Petra correct Hanji’s steps. _‘She had to fight to be herself, after no one else wanted her to.’_

 

As he walked the class through the basic movements of samba, he considered his own life. It hadn’t been all flowers and butterflies for him either; he had no parents, his earliest memories were of being neglected, and then he had his awkward teenage years in foster care. But Levi had never felt the desperate need to prove himself to someone he loved, or been abandoned by a parent.

 

_‘I had a feeling that we were alike,’_ Levi thought, turning to look away from Hanji in time to see a couple wave him over. _‘That we both had some dark spots on our past. But where I failed, she succeeded.’_

 

If it hadn’t been for Erwin and Mike, Levi probably would have spent his life at this age wandering around aimlessly. Ballroom dancing gave him a creative outlet, and for a while, dancesport filled a hole in his heart that hungered for attention that he never knew was there.

 

Teaching wasn’t so bad, either, once he got used to it. Sometimes the students were bland or shallow, or upper class snobs with lack of empathy, but Erwin paid decently enough and it was better than a dull and dreary job at a grocery store. It paid the rent, filled the fridge and Furball’s food dish, and renewed his Netflix subscription. And he could continue to dance.

 

Levi finished walking the couple through a samba walk, and pointed out the error in the woman’s stepping.

 

“Thank you, Mr. Levi,” she said, giving him a smile of appreciation.

 

Levi almost gave his customary grunt — he hated being called “Mr.” — but changed his mind. “No problem,” he said, lips stretching into what he hoped was a smile. “It’s what I’m here for.”

 

The woman blinked in surprise, and smiled back with a faint blush before turning to her partner.

 

Feeling like he succeeded just a little, he turned back to the rest of the class. The session went on smoothly; Levi was thankful that this group of students were too clumsy of a batch and caught on easily enough. Even though the two high schoolers were constantly giggling to each other, they heeded his instructions and respected him. All in all, it was a pleasant class to teach, even if he didn’t count Hanji.

 

When the session ended for the night, Levi watched the students leave. He saw Hanji and Petra take their phones out, and then Petra left with a cheerful wave. She still gave Levi a lot of shy glances during class, but at least she could interact with him normally.

 

_‘Unlike Auruo,’_  Levi thought, as he approached Hanji.

 

“Petra and I swapped numbers!” Hanji said, excited and waving her phone in his face. “Levi, be proud of me, for I have made a friend via ballroom dancing!”

 

She put her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest, looking so proud of herself that Levi couldn’t hold back a snort of laughter.

 

“Now I’ve really accomplished something,” Hanji said, voice hushed dramatically and her eyes wide behind her glasses. “I made Levi _laugh._ ’

 

Levi covered his mouth again, a muffled snort squeezing past his fingers while his shoulders quivered. “Stop that,” he said, after getting control of himself.”

 

“Or what, someone might hear Mr. Stuffy Pants Levi laugh?” Hanji teased, reaching out to poke his side.

 

“Don’t you dare poke me,” he warned, but Hanji attempted to jab her hand at him anyway.

 

“Hanji?” Nifa poked her head into the studio, startling both of them. “Your sister’s here.”

 

As Nifa ducked back out, Hanji’s face quickly went from laughing to surprise.

 

_‘She didn’t just leave her mom,’_ Levi realized, the thought crashing into his mind. The strange mood between Hanji and Danielle when they ran into each other a couple weeks ago made sense now. They acted like two acquaintances, instead of sisters.

 

Hanji turned to Levi, an uneasy smile on her face. “Could you come with me?” she asked, unsure in her words. “You were a big help last time,” she admitted.

 

She was asking him for help, something that Levi knew she didn’t do often, if at all, judging by her relationship with Nanaba. She trusted him enough to ask.

 

“Sure,” Levi answered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song mentioned was indeed Pitbull's "Fireball". Listen to it and try to tell me you couldn't dance to that beat.
> 
> Sometimes Tumblr is stupid and won't track the fic: allowance tag properly, by the way. If you ever wanna send me something, be it message or even art, you can just hit up my ask box or submit to me! (My blog navigation is on the top left corner as a drop down menu). [BLOG](http://glitchikinnsblog.tumblr.com)


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi hates making phone calls.

Hanji walked towards the lobby, Levi following her. Her heart was thumping a little faster than usual, and she felt nervous.

 

 _‘I ignored her text,’_ she thought, seeing Dani standing by Erwin’s portrait. _‘Is she mad at me?’_

 

During Hanji’s relapse, Dani had texted her a reminder to send her the picture of them. Hanji, still recovering from her plunge back into anxious fits of studying, had ignored it with the intention of dealing with it later. There would be no ignoring Dani now.

 

“Zoë!” Dani caught sight of Hanji and Levi. Tonight, she wore her hair up, and a nifty asymmetrical jacket. “I was hoping you’d be here,” she said, relieved. “Did you get my text last week? Gracie gave your number to me but she said it’s from high school.”

 

“No, I got it!” Hanji said quickly, getting her phone out of her pocket. “I’m sorry! I got wrapped up in the midterm aftermath and forgot!”

 

“It’s ok!” Dani said, waving off Hanji’s frantic button smashing with one hand as she pulled out her own phone with the other. “I can take one with my phone this time. It’ll be big enough an image to send to Gracie.”

 

Hanji’s smile faltered. “Are you sure?” she asked. “Grandpa won’t see it?”

 

Dani started in surprise, a brief flash of horror flitting across her face. “Oh! No! He doesn’t do that anymore!” she said, stepping closer to Hanji to put her free hand on Hanji’s shoulder. “And I wouldn’t let him even if he tried,” she said, gaze steady and voice firm. “Our family isn’t healthy, Zoë. It’s getting better; Momma’s medication has helped her a lot and she’s more independent now, but you’re still not there.”

 

Hanji’s chest hurt and her head felt unbelievably hot. She had done her best over the years to push back the loneliness and pain from being separated from her family. She missed Graciela’s calm and soft-hearted demeanor, and Dani’s energy. While Hanji’s goal was to become someone worthy of being called “daughter” again, she had forced herself to give up on the hope of returning home after she graduated high school.

 

“Besides, I’m over eighteen now,” Dani said, lowering her hand with a smirk and a defiant look in her eyes. “Grandpa’s power over me lessens by the day.”

 

“Well, don’t get him too worked up,” Hanji joked, but her voice cracked a bit. “He’s gettin’ old, you know.”

 

“He is, but it’s no excuse,” Dani huffed. “Ugh, now I’m all worked up. Let’s take a pic before my face freezes into something ugly.”

 

Hanji and Dani turned to look at Levi at the same time. He had again been standing quietly to the side.

 

“At least it isn’t a flip phone,” he said, shrugging at the unspoken request while reaching out for Dani’s phone.

 

Hanji sputtered, her own phone still in her hand. Dani laughed, and wrapped her arms around Hanji again. This time, Hanji immediately hugged back, and clung to her sister tightly. She hoped the picture didn’t pick up the unshed tears in her eyes.

 

“Got it,” Levi said, handing the phone back to Dani, who showed the picture to Hanji.

 

Like the first, they both looked happy, with wide grins and a chokehold on each other, for the hug was so tight and close.

 

“Levi, we’re closing up now,” said Nifa, who just returned from one of the back offices.

 

“Aw, I meant to ask if you could do a dance for me,” Dani said, disappointed.

 

“Next time!” Hanji said, grinning. She meant it, too, though she wondered if her nerves would allow her to dance properly.

 

“I’ll have to record it,” Dani said, wrinkling her nose at Hanji with a giggle. “Definitely, so Grace can see.”

 

Dani gave Hanji another hug. Before she pulled away, Hanji had a flash of inspiration and she tugged Dani’s ponytail, ently so that it wouldn’t come apart, but enough to be reminiscent of all the times Hanji used to do it when they were kids. Dani recognized the action, and Hanji thought she saw her sister’s eyes water.

 

“Text me, ok?” Dani said, as she walked towards the entrance of the academy.

 

“I will this time,” Hanji said, waving goodbye.

 

Dani left, and Hanji stood for a moment in silence, recollecting her thoughts.

 

 _‘Could I really go home someday?’_ she wondered. ‘ _Probably not to live there again. I’m fine on my own now. But, it would be nice to visit everyone, whenever I wanted!’_

 

“Want me to walk you to the bus stop?” Levi asked, tapping her arm.

 

“That’d be awesome, thanks!” Hanji said, resisting the urge to tackle him in her joy.

 

She pulled her welding jacket off the nearby coat rack while Levi grabbed his own from the office. Outside, the air was a bit nippy, but the skies were finally clear.

 

“Thanks for staying again,” Hanji said as they walked. The bus stop was only two blocks down the street, so Hanji made sure to walk as slowly as she could without being obvious.

 

Levi grunted with a shrug. “Not like I did anything,” he said.

 

Hanji raised her eyebrows, feeling a sense of deja vu. “But you did,” she said. “You could have left me on my own. My family drama isn’t any of your business, after all. But you still came. That alone really helped me!”

 

Levi didn’t respond, and Hanji threw an arm around his shoulder. She was prepared for him to shrug that off as well, but he didn’t, so it stayed there.

 

“Did your grandfather used to go through your stuff?” he asked.

 

“Um, sorta,” Hanji replied, cringing. “When I moved out, there was still a couple weeks left in the school year, so I would still see Grace at school. Dani wasn’t in high school yet. Grace was forbidden to talk to me by our grandpa, but I didn’t know at the time because she didn’t tell me.”

 

“Your grandpa sucks,” Levi cut in.

 

“Ha! Well, at one point, we slipped up, and he found out,” Hanji continued. “Since I lived in a different public school district, I would be starting at a different high school. Sergio had bought me a cheap phone because he insisted on me being within reach, so I gave Grace my number. But, over the summer, Grandpa took her phone and went through the call list. She wasn’t allowed to talk to me anymore after that.”

 

Levi responded by moving closer into her side.

 

She felt a little bad for dragging Levi into the gloomy atmosphere, so she said, “Sorry for all the drama. I know my family’s pretty messy compared to others.”

 

“I told you before that you weren’t the only one with a crazy past,” he said. “I spent my life in foster care without any real parents, so I don’t have anything to compare to.”

 

Hanji stared at him, assessing his expression and neutral tone of voice. Considering his age and cool personality, she decided it was likely that he was past any hard feelings on the subject, though she bet that she was one of few people who knew this information. The timing of it made her wonder if it was his way of trying to say she wasn’t alone.

 

“Haha!” Hanji laughed loudly, and squeezed his shoulders. They felt nice and firm under her arm. “Aren’t we a pair of weirdos, then!”

 

Levi smirked. “Being normal is boring anyway.”

 

“Exactly,” she agreed. “There’s too much to the world to stay stuck in one gear. That’s been my policy, anyway, since high school.”

 

“Your family is lucky that you care so much about them,” he said. “You could’ve left and never looked back, but you still want to make amends with them.”

 

“I guess you could say it’s just part of my nature,” Hanji said. “After I found out my mom’s side of things, about how much pressure and stress she was put under, I realized that there’s always so much more to people than what we see at first. It wasn’t all Momma’s fault, and I did some bad things too, so if I can, I want to repair our relationship.”

 

“Is that why you’re so weirdly observant?” Levi asked.

 

“Maybe,” she hummed, a grin spreading across her lips. “Do you mean like how I noticed today that you wore a shirt I haven’t seen before, and that when you walked into the studio your hair was still slightly damp, and that you kept staring at me during class?”

 

She had leaned her head down a little when she said this, so that her head was resting against his and her words went straight into his ear. He made a small croak-like noise in his throat, and squirmed under her arm. She wondered if he was blushing, but there was too much light coming off of nearby businesses to tell.

 

Hanji laughed and pulled him closer, and as she did, his own arm came up and wrapped around her back, so that they were practically hugging while staggering down the sidewalk.

 

 _‘Is he gonna kiss me?’_ Hanji thought, meeting his eyes. She wouldn’t be against it, that was for sure. His eyes, normally a light blue-gray, looked darker in the night, with orange highlights and reflections from the lights.

 

The city bus, however, had other plans, and roared up to the bus stop a short distance away.

 

“Ah!” Hanji cried out, as the bus began to pull away after seeing no one waiting at the stop. “Levi, talk to you later!” she yelled, dashing after the bus.

 

After Hanji seated herself on the bus safely, she looked out of the window to see Levi holding up his hand in a limp wave goodbye. She waved back energetically with a smile, but after the bus drove off, Hanji slammed her head against the seat in front of her and groaned.

 

 _‘I was **so** close!’_ she screamed in her head. _‘Now I have to wait a whole week to see him again!’_

 

\--------------------------------------------------

 

As the bus pulled away, Levi decided his hatred for public transportation was now increased by tenfold.

 

 _‘I was **so** close!’_ he thought, growling into his hand.

 

It had been the perfect timing to steal a kiss, though Hanji had looked like she would have given it freely. The way her voice had reverberated through his head, the streetlamps’ orange glow flickering in her eyes, and that impish grin on her face, had all pulled him into her center of gravity.

 

 _‘She really is admirable,’_ he thought, recalling Hanji’s story about her family. _‘What have I been doing? I’ve become stagnant. Gross._ ’

 

Mike was waiting for him behind Red Shoes. “There you are,” he said, letting Levi inside the building. “Nifa left already. I stayed to lock up.”

 

Levi grunted his thanks and collected his bag from the office. Head still full of Hanji’s laughter, he began to leave the office, only to have Mike block him.

 

“Levi, your jacket,” he said, pointing behind Levi.

 

Levi looked back; he had taken his jacket off and placed it on his chair as if he was just arriving at the academy. Levi turned around and grabbed it, then pulled it on while grumbling under his breath. Mike followed him out of Red Shoes in silence, and locked the back door.

 

“Levi, are you alright?” Mike asked as Levi struggled to unlock his car.

 

“I’m fine,” Levi replied. His key wouldn’t fit in the lock. With a flash of annoyance, he realized he was trying to shove his house key in it.

 

“You really like Hanji,” Mike said, raising an eyebrow at Levi’s clumsiness. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you like this, not even with Rico.”

 

Levi unlocked his car at last but didn’t get in yet. He and Rico had technically dated for three or so years, but dancing and their respective jobs had kept them busy, so it felt shorter than that. They had met through dancing, and grew to trust and like each other. But Mike was right; Rico had never put his head up in the clouds like this.

 

“If you don’t want to dance with Hanji,” Mike started saying, words hesitant, like he didn’t want to upset Levi again. “Why not? What’s holding you back?”

 

Levi stared at a chipped piece of paint on his car door. “I don’t know,” he said, finally admitting it to himself.

 

Mike accepted Levi’s answer without a reply and walked over to his own truck, a big, black monster that Levi constantly made fun of. Before he got in, Mike turned back to Levi. “By the way, you’re still a bad date” he said, mustache twitching with his smirk. “Next time, you should offer her a ride home instead of just walking her to the bus stop.”

 

Levi froze in the middle of getting into his car, and slammed his head on the frame with a silent scream of frustration, making Mike laugh loudly as he got into his truck.

 

Wednesday was a day off for Levi, so he spent it doing laundry and starting on the first book in a new fantasy novel series. When 8pm rolled around, he settled himself on his couch with a mug of tea, Furball, and his cell phone.

 

‘ _Gotta make sure she didn’t relapse again,’_ Levi told himself as he dialed Hanji’s phone. He didn’t really think she would, for the second encounter had been more positive than the first in his opinion, and Hanji had replied to his morning text with her usual response.

 

“Guten Abend, this is Herr Gerger!” The voice on the end of the line was not Hanji’s. Instead, it was very much a man’s, and there were stifled giggles in the background.

 

Levi considered hanging up.

 

“Hello? Hellooooo?” the voice said, much too loudly. “Did we lose him?”

 

“Nah, he’s probably still recovering from your awful fake German accent.” Levi recognized Nanaba’s voice, but she sounded distant.

 

“I’m on speaker,” Levi stated. The desire to hang up remained strong.

 

“Yes! Hi, Levi!” Hanji chirped, also in the background. “My morning class tomorrow got cancelled, so we’re hanging out at Gerger’s place tonight.”

 

“Hi, I’m Gerger!” said the man. He was still holding the phone, judging by his still-loud voice.

 

“I’m going to hang up now,” Levi said.

 

“No! Wait!” Hanji cried. There was some scuffling, a yelp from Gerger, and a grunt that possibly came from Nanaba. “I have a very important question for you, Levi!” Hanji said. Now it was her voice that was too loud in his ear.

 

“Ugh, Gerger, get your butt of me, you’re crushing me,” Nanaba complained.

 

“You said I wasn’t fat!” Gerger moaned.

 

“You aren’t, but you’re still heavy!”

 

“Levi!” Hanji butted in over her friends’ voices. “Batman or Iron Man?”

 

“Iron Man.” Levi’s reply was almost instantaneous despite the random question.

 

“Shoot, I pegged you as Batman!” Hanji wailed. “ _I’m_ for Batman.”

 

Levi raised an eyebrow. He would have linked her to Tony Stark instead of Bruce Wayne, but he could see how she’d assume he’d prefer Batman.

 

“Hanji, that wasn’t the question!” Nanaba scolded her.

 

“What? Oh! Hey, are you free this Friday?” Hanji asked.

 

Levi stared at his phone suspiciously while more giggles were heard in the background. “I am,” he replied.

 

“Wanna join us at Utgard?” Hanji asked, clearly excited. “It’s a club downtown.”

 

“I know it,” Levi said, recalling that the club was a block or two away from Red Shoes. He paused, thinking the invitation over. It was probably time to fulfill his monthly Social Interaction quota for the month, so he said, “Sure, what time?”

 

There was a suppressed squeal from Hanji and some clapping from the peanut gallery. “How does nine sound?” she said. “I don’t get out of work until seven and I’m pretty sure you’d want me to shower first, huh.”

 

“Please.” Levi’s voice bordered on a plea.

 

“Yes! I finally get to meet the boyfriend!” Gerger cheered. “Does that mean we’ll get to see you two ballroom dance?”

 

“We were watching videos of you on Youtube,” Hanji explained.

 

“I think it’s safe to say that you have two new additions to your fanclub,” Nanaba added.

 

“Hey, were all those dance partners your girlfriends?” Gerger asked. “Or do you not have to be dating the girl in order to dance with her?”

 

“You don’t need to be dating your dance partner,” Levi said, earning a cheer from Gerger. The idea of dating all of his former dance partners sounded rather terrifying. “I only dated one of them.”

 

“How many  have you had?” Hanji asked this time. “Is it like being in a relationship? Do you only have one partner at a time?”

 

“I don’t remember how many,” Levi answered, feeling somewhat uncomfortable from direction the conversation had taken. “It depends on the dancers. Some are easy-going and don’t mind sharing or swapping partners, some are...more exclusive.”

 

Hanji took the hint, but before she could change the topic, Gerger overrode her.

 

“Exclusive?” he asked, sounding confused. “Did your dance partner cheat on you with another dancer then?”

 

“Gerger!” Nanaba exclaimed in shock.

 

There was a slapping noise, and a yelp of pain from Gerger. “Oh man, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean it like that—” he sputtered.

 

Levi hung up.

 

\--------------------------------------------------

 

Hanji looked down at her phone’s screen, the “Call Ended” message blinking back at her.

 

“He hung up,” she announced.

 

Nanaba slapped Gerger’s arm again as he let out a dismayed wail.

 

“Hans, I’m sorry, I didn’t really mean ‘cheating’ like _cheating_ ,” he said, struggling to get off his loveseat, but failing because Nanaba was draped across his lap.

 

“I know,” Hanji said, giving the poor guy a smile. “I’m gonna call him back.”

 

Hanji stepped into Gerger’s tiny bathroom and shut the door. After closing the toilet lid, she sat down and dialed Levi’s phone. The phone rang five times, but Levi picked up before the voicemail started. She knew he would.

 

“Hi, Levi,” Hanji greeted him softly. The bathroom walls weren’t tiled, so the echo wasn’t bad, but it was mainly to let Levi know she was speaking to him privately.

 

Levi sighed, the sound barely audible. “Hi,” he said.  


“Sorry about that,” Hanji apologized. “Gerger’s a nice guy, he really didn’t mean to imply that Rico cheated on you. He thought that maybe she danced with someone else and you didn’t like that.”

 

“It’s fine,” Levi said. Hanji wondered if she really did hear a faint trace of hesitation in his voice, or if it was just her phone. “I understood what he meant.”

 

“I’ll let him know,” Hanji said, leaning back with a smile. “He was almost in tears ‘cuz he said something stupid to you the first time he ‘meets’ you. He’s a pretty sensitive guy, I’ve noticed.”

 

“It was the opposite,” Levi said. His words had the slightest rush to them, and Hanji almost missed them because he said it quietly.

 

“What?” she asked, leaning forward as if she would hear him better that way.

 

“It was the opposite,” he repeated. “I was the one who danced with someone else.”

 

Hanji absorbed this new information. Her heart rate jumped, because she knew this was the answer to the question she had been asking herself for a while now, and Levi was finally confiding to her. Despite his admission of guilt, she felt a sense of exhilaration.

 

“Rico wanted us to remain exclusive to each other,” Levi continued. The hesitancy in his voice was more obvious now, but he kept going. “I was fine with that. My personality makes it...difficult to retain dance partners if they’re not thick-skinned enough.”

 

Hanji snickered, unable to help herself.

 

“After some time, we started dating. We shared a mutual dislike of people, so we got along well.” There was a hint of a smirk in Levi’s words, and Hanji grinned. He paused, then said,” It was alright for a while. We kept busy with dancing and our side jobs. But then we started to grate on each other.”

 

Hanji hummed in sympathy.

 

“We got an appearance on a TV show. We were to do a tango as a guest act,” Levi said. “Two weeks before it, Rico broke a couple of her toes.”

 

There was silence on his end, but Hanji completed the story for him.

 

“You danced with someone else on the show,” she said. “Rico got jealous.”

 

“Yeah.” Levi’s confirmation came after another heartbeat of silence.

 

“I’m guessing things escalated from there,” Hanji said, prodding him gently.

 

“Yeah,” he said again. “Eventually, we were fighting more than dancing. During a championship, in the middle of a dance, she left me on the dancefloor. Erwin smoothed the incident over in the media, but you’ve met Rico.”

 

“Told everyone she knew, huh?” Hanji guessed.

 

“Yep.” Levi sighed again. “So I quit dancesport. Erwin had just bought Red Shoes, so I moved here and became an instructor.”

 

Hanji made a mental note to tell Erwin’s portrait “thank you” next Tuesday before class.

 

“Still wanna dance with me?” Levi asked, a self-mocking lilt to his voice.

 

“I think you’ll know the answer when you meet us at Utgard this Friday,” Hanji replied with a chuckle. “Though honestly, I think you know the answer already.”

 

“Hmph. Your taste in men is weird,” Levi grunted, but his voice sounded a bit happier.

 

Hanji laughed, and a little too loudly because Levi hissed in her ear. “I could say the same to you,” she said. “Good night, Levi. See you Friday.”

 

“Good night, Hanji.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise, a quick update. <3


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi gets a lesson in dubstep and Hanji borrows some clothes. Also, dancing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [The song mentioned in the first scene.](http://youtu.be/lHw_9QptTn4)

 

On Thursday evening, Levi had a private session with Eren and Annie. To the surprise of both students, Levi showed up late, and with a Starbucks cup in his hand.

 

“Is that a pumpkin spice latte?!” Eren exclaimed, his head whipping around after catching a whiff of Levi’s very aromatic coffee. “Wait, Levi’s drinking _coffee_?”

 

“You look like crap,” Annie commented, arching an eyebrow.

 

Levi wanted to say, “And I feel like it,” but all he could manage was a guttural growl and he took a sip of the coffee instead. He hadn’t slept at all. After he finally drifted off around 3am, he woke up after three hours of fitful sleep, and not even an attempted power nap could boost his energy level.

 

“What are you two doing?” Levi asked, settling himself on a stool. When he had entered the studio, Eren and Annie had been studying an iPod.

 

“Annie wanted to see if we could ballroom dance to dubstep,” Eren said.

 

“Dubstep?” Levi was intrigued, not by the concept, but by Annie being the originator of the idea. “Isn’t that that screechy music with the wub-wubbing?”

 

Eren snickered and Annie rolled her eyes.

 

“Yeah, like this,” Eren said, pressing a button. Music erupted from the speakers, with shrill twanging noises making up the melody and a heavy bass beat that sent vibrations through the studio floor.

 

“Ugh,” was all Levi could say as Eren quickly turned the volume down. _‘I’m gonna need more coffee,’_ he thought, sipping the drink again. Normally he hated coffee, but he  needed something strong and the pumpkin flavor made the taste bearable.

 

“”Not that one,” Annie said, taking the iPod from Eren. “We’re having trouble finding a song with a suitable BPM.”

 

Now Levi was very interested; Annie rarely expressed much opinion in their dance routines and usually chose to leave the choreography to Eren and Levi. So long as she felt comfortable doing the moves, she never complained.

 

Levi hopped off the stool and walked over to them. “What’s the BPM of that one?” he asked.

 

“128,” Annie replied, thumbing down her list of songs. “We were trying to find a match for rumba since that’s Eren’s favorite, and rumba works best with a BMP of around 104.”

 

“We don’t have to do rumba though,” Eren added hastily. “I’m up to about anything, it’d just be awesome to be like, the first people to throw in Skrillex at a competition.”

 

Levi cringed at the image at first, but the thought of making a bunch of old farts jump in their seats definitely appealed to him. He looked at Annie. “What else you got?”

 

They spent half of the session browsing Annie’s huge music library, which was also really diverse. Alongside names with “DJ” at the front, there were also song titles that Levi recognized from past sessions together, movies, and hit songs that were much older than Levi himself. He was impressed, and when he told her so, a small smile appeared on her face.

 

They settled on a song called “Between Two Points” that was electronic, had a BPM of 122, and didn’t sound like a remix of a dial-up internet tone. Despite the higher BPM, the overall impression of the song was slow, and there were gentle lyrics by a female voice that crooned over top the heavy beat. It was perfect for a slow, sultry dance.

 

“It’s high for rumba, but it’s in the range for tango,” Levi said. “Not like it really matters, though, if we do this as just a performance and not for a strict competition. We could borrow the pace from rumba, and steps from both rumba and tango.”

 

They cobbled together a few steps and Eren danced with Levi first so that Levi could test the flow of the steps himself.

 

“Dang, you can carry groceries in your eye bags,” Eren said, seeing Levi’s face up close.

 

Levi didn’t even have the energy to fight back. “Just dance,” he sighed.

 

With an alarmed expression, Eren complied without another word. They went through the brief, minute-long step list. Levi  had danced to various types of instrumental music, from movie scores to classical orchestras, but electronic music was new to him. He embraced the challenge, and it helped his mood if not his energy.

 

“Yeah, that’s a good start,” Levi said, letting go of Eren’s hands to gesture for Annie to step in.

 

Levi rewound and played back the start of the song as Annie went through the same steps as Levi, though with more energy. He took a sip of his coffee, but it was cold, so he put it on top of the stool and watched his students dance. It was somewhat surreal, seeing his students coming up with their own ideas for performances and being confident enough in their knowledge of ballroom to start functioning alongside Levi instead of under him strictly as a coach. He wondered if he should talk to Erwin about using Annie and Eren to help market Red Shoes.

 

“Not bad,” Levi said, as the two finished the steps.”We’ll work on it some more next week.”

 

Eren broke out into a wide grin. Annie looked pleased with herself as she picked up her iPod.

 

“Feel better soon, Levi!” Eren said, on their way out. “It’s cold season, so take care of yourself!”

 

Levi snorted and shooed him off, but after they left, he continued to stand in the studio. Surrounding him were dozens of reflections of himself, staring back at him.

 

 _‘They’re progressing,’_ he thought, thinking about Annie’s and Eren’s growth not just as dancers, but as people. _‘Hanji too. She’s had to come back from her own trials. But I’m still stuck.’_

 

He wanted to dance with Hanji. The desire to just cut loose with her and dance without pausing had grown stronger ever since he realized it. After seeing how she dealt with her surroundings and handled her own problems, he trusted her enough to take the lead and to leave himself in her hands.

 

‘ _But I’m still holding back,’_ Levi thought, frowning at his reflection. He looked paler than usual, and the smudges under his eyes really were darker than usual. _‘I can’t even sleep.’_

 

Telling Hanji about Rico didn’t go badly at all; it could have gone a lot worse, and he had felt bad about reacting to Gerger’s words so poorly. But it didn’t alleviate the nagging feeling in his gut, which he felt even now.

 

 _‘Both Rico and I were at fault back then,’_  he reminded himself, wondering if it was guilt he was feeling.

 

It was true. Levi had asked Rico for permission before dancing with another partner on the T.V. show; he didn’t do it in an underhanded manner. But while she agreed, she had taken his initiative on the matter personally and as a breach of trust. In the end, they had both ended their relationship by doing and saying things that they didn’t mean.

 

 _‘Things we didn’t mean.’_ The thought rang in Levi’s head and Hanji’s face materialized. _‘Is that what I need to do? Make amends with Rico in order to move on?’_

 

Rico wasn’t a detestable person. Levi would never have danced or dated her if that was true. She had been a nice companion in her own way, and there were still some fond memories between them. If Levi looked past his own bitter experience with their last encounters together, he could feel deep down that he wanted Rico to move on from him as well, and be happy.

 

 _‘Worth a shot, I guess,’_ Levi thought, leaving the studio. _‘The worst she could do is yell at me.’_

 

\-----------------------------------

 

Nile Dawk’s Academy of Dance was on the north side of town, just within the city limits. The residents of the area were mostly upper middle class and white-collar workers who commuted to the next city over. Levi figured that Nile, a long-time rival of Erwin’s, had wanted to aim for a better paying breed of students, while Erwin focused on accessibility.

 

According to their website, Rico taught a class on Friday afternoons. The class got out at 7:30, which Levi hoped would leave him enough time to say what he needed to say and then make it back in time to meet Hanji at Utgard. He could have met Rico before her class, but Levi knew she hated being disturbed just before dance sessions, and he wanted their conversation to remain as civil as possible.

 

The Academy was a pristine, white building with blue accents. When Levi entered, he was greeted by a tall man with a familiar face that he couldn’t place at first.

 

“Hi, welcome to Dawk’s Academy,” the man said, and then recognized Levi. “Levi? Long time no see.”

 

“Gustav,” Levi said, the man’s name finally surfacing. He nodded in greeting. “Just dropped by to talk to rico. How’s old man Pixis?”

 

“Still as weird as ever,” Gustav said with a chuckle. “His latest performance included peacock feathers, a fog machine, and something that _could_ have been a salsa.”

 

Dot Pixis was one of the most well-known dancers in the ballroom world. He was once the most skilled technical dancer, but as he got older, he started turning more towards performance art and was quite eccentric. Gustav was one of his former students back in Pixis’s glory days, and was a solid dancer himself.

 

“I think Rico’s class is wrapping up now,” Gustav said, looking at his watch. “I’ll let her know you’re here.”

 

Gustav left him in the lobby, which was spacious and had plenty of seats for parents. There were several parents already seated, waiting for their children to get out of class. Most of them seemed to be of the same variety of middle-aged women as Gail, for Levi caught them giving him scrutinizing glances while typing on their phones.

 

 _‘Gee, wonder if it’s my clothing,’_  Levi thought with silent sarcasm. _‘That, or the bags under my eyes.’_

 

He was wearing his leather jacket, black jeans, and a pair of old boots he rarely wore anymore but had smooth soles that worked ok enough for dancing in a pinch. He had gotten more sleep, but all the z’s in the world couldn’t improve his complexion.

 

Levi snorted to himself and ignored the women, choosing instead to look at the portrait of Nile on the lobby wall. The rivalry was still strong, for it was larger than Erwin’s, though Levi knew for a fact that Erwin’s was an original framed painting and not a photo.

 

There was a sudden gush of chatter as a group of teens flooded into the lobby. Among them, Levi spotted the two students that competed against Eren and Annie. The boy caught sight of Levi, paled, and then flushed angrily before continuing out the door with his confused dance partner.

 

 _‘What was that about?’_  Levi wondered, but was then face-to-face with a stunned Rico.

 

“Levi, what’re you doing here?” she asked, not a hint of anger or annoyance on her face.

 

“I need to talk to you,” he said, hoping they wouldn’t do it in the lobby.

 

Rico arched an eyebrow, a thin, maintained line of hair, and turned around. “Let’s go to my office,” she said.

 

Levi followed her down a couple of hallways. Dawk’s had four dance studios, a dressing room, and individual offices for their instructors. Despite the impressive size, Levi decided he felt more comfortable at Red Shoes. It was small, but that just meant it was easier to keep clean.

 

Rico shut the door to her office for privacy, but neither of them sat down. Instead, they stared at each other , with Rico waiting for Levi to speak. When he failed to say anything, she asked, “You’re not trying to get back with me, are you?”

 

“No,” Levi said, too harsh with his quick response. He cringed, but Rico didn’t get angry, which threw him off even more.

 

“Then spit it out already,” she huffed. “You seriously have not changed at all; you’re still horrible at communicating.”

 

Levi bit back a retort, and instead, decided to just be blunt about it. “I want to make amends,” he said. “I know I’m three years late, but I want to move on and I don’t want to be enemies with you anymore.”

 

“Enemies?” Rico scoffed. “I never contacted you after we split up. You make it sound like I harass you on a regular basis.”

 

“You insulted me and my students at the theatre arts competition last month,” Levi reminded her.

 

Rico’s mouth made a small “o” as she remembered. “Oh, right,” she said, the contrite tone of her voice made Levi do a double take. She paused, and added in a softer volume, “I did, didn’t I. I was...caught off guard that night.”

 

There was an awkward silence as Levi tried to comprehend Rico’s sudden switch from defensive to meek. Rico was as meek as Levi was sweet of tongue; she just wasn’t, but now she was fidgeting with her glasses.

 

“I was jealous,” she admitted. “I knew you were teaching and that you quit dancesport, but I didn’t think you’d coach. Actually, I couldn’t even imagine you teaching at all.”

 

Levi snorted at that. He couldn’t imagine it back then, either, and at first, he had sucked at it, but a kid with a mop of brown hair and big green eyes had helped him figure it out.

 

“And then you suddenly showed up,” Rico continued, shrugging her shoulders. “And you looked the same as always. You _acted_ the same as always. And you were with another woman, and your students did great, and there I was, still acting like my toes were broken.”

 

 _‘Stuck in the same gear,’_ Levi thought.

 

“I struck out at you,” she went on. “I’m sorry.”

 

Levi blinked. He wasn’t expecting an apology from Rico when he came to Dawk’s, or even an acceptance of his own apology. Rico blushed at his open stare.

 

“I’m not saying it again!” she said, crossing her arms as she switched back into the familiar defense mode.

 

“You’ve changed,” Levi remarked. _‘At least, since the competition.’_

 

She blushed harder but this time, she avoided Levi’s eyes. “I’ve been...seeing someone,” she said. “He doesn’t know anything about ballroom and he’s kind of clumsy, but he’s been making me realize that some of the things I’ve been doing aren’t...desirable.”

 

It was kind of eerie, hearing the parallel in Rico’s words to Levi’s own experiences with Hanji. He wondered what kind of man had been able to point out Rico’s flaws to her, and to live not only to tell the tale, but to actually cause Rico to want to fix those flaws. He counted himself lucky, for if not for the mystery man, the meeting with her would have gone a lot differently.

 

“Then let’s _both_ move on,” he said, extending a hand. “Besides, we’re adults. Gotta look good for the brats we teach.”

 

Rico smirked and shook his hand. “I guess some friendly competition could be fun,” she said. “Will you ever go back to dancesport?”

 

“I might,” Levi said. “Need to obtain a partner, first.”

 

“You really weren’t with that woman back then?” Rico asked, surprised. “What was her name again?”

 

“Hanji. She’s a beginner, started back in September,” he replied. He then grinned, which for him was a smirk with teeth showing. “She’s gotten better since then.”

 

“She looks...interesting,” Rico said. She gave Levi a mischievous smile, and she finally looked like the Rico that Levi remembered more fondly. “Maybe we’ll compete against each other someday. I’ll look forward to it.”

 

\-----------------------------------

 

Hanji spent her Friday shift at Sergio’s with twitchy fingers and frequent glances at the clock. She was excited for the evening’s plans, but her nerves were beginning to rattle.

 

 _‘Will he dance with me?’_ she thought on the bus ride back to her dorm. _‘Will he **really** dance with me, or would it be too awkward to ballroom at a club?’_

 

All day she had been reviewing the simple routines she learned in class, and even played back some of the memorable steps from the Youtube videos she could remember. If she focused, she could even remember the very first time she saw Levi, though the feelings that came with it distracted her several times from her work.

 

When Hanji arrived at her dorm room, it was already just past 7:30, so she immediately hopped in the shower. Nanaba was waiting for her when she finished.

 

“Do you own anything besides t-shirts?” Nanaba asked, surveying Hanji’s attire. She herself was wearing a sheer, white buttoned-down shirt over a green, thin-strapped tank top and faded blue jeans.

 

“I own some sweatshirts,” Hanji offered. She did feel a bit drab next to Nanaba, but that was normal; Nanaba looked good in nearly anything.

 

“Let’s see if I’ve got something that could work,” Nanaba said, leading Hanji to her room. “Good thing we’re close to the same size.”

 

“Maybe I’ll buy some new clothes over the summer,” Hanji said, feeling sheepish. “So that I don’t have to keep borrowing your clothes in order to look decent in public.”

 

“Aw Hans, no, don’t wear anything you’re not comfortable in!” Nanaba said, putting her hands on Hanji’s shoulders. “And don’t feel bad, I don’t mind sharing clothes at all! Actually, when spring semester ends, maybe I’ll go through them and give you some. I’ve got more at home, too.”

 

They settled on a short-sleeved top made of thin, gray sweater material. It had a wide, low-cut neck, and since Nanaba was broader in the shoulders, it hung down on Hanji a little lower, so she wore a bright yellow cami underneath. Hanji’s hair was left down like for Eren’s competition, but this time, Nanaba put a little bit of product in it to keep it tamed.

 

“Guess I should get a trim, huh?” Hanji commented, fingering a clump of hair.

 

“If you do, get it done at some cheap hair place,” Nanaba suggested. “Your hair is finally evening out after the last time you cut it. Do you have any fitted jeans?”

 

“I do, Sergio’s wife gave me a pair for my birthday this year, but they kept slipping off my butt,” Hanji said. She went to her room, dug around in a drawer, and returned wearing the mentioned jeans. They were dark washed and hip-huggers, which turned out to be a bad idea since Hanji was like a plank of wood.

 

“Oh! Those are nice!” Nanaba handed Hanji a black belt with a double row of silver grommets. “Here. This should keep them up.”

 

“Awesome! I’m an engineer, not a plumber,” Hanji laughed, putting it on.

 

They completed Hanji’s outfit just in time for Gerger to arrive and pick them up. When they arrived at Utgard, Levi wasn’t there yet. Instead, Hanji had received a text saying he’d be a few minutes late.

 

“I’ll wait outside,” Hanji said, motioning her friends to go ahead inside. “It feels really good out here tonight!”

 

Despite his warning, Levi showed up only a couple minutes later. Hanji squashed the croaky groan that rose in her throat when she saw him approaching; he was wearing all black, had on that jacket that she definitely liked, and his usually perfect hair was slightly out of place. Her fingers twitched, and she had to keep herself from reaching out to ruffle it more.

 

“Hi, Levi!” she greeted, pulse racing.

 

“Sorry I’m late,” he said, standing in front of her. He looked at her, flicked his eyes up and down, and then brought them up to stay on her face. “I had a meeting with someone, and it took longer than I expected.”

 

“It’s ok! We just got here,” Hanji reassured him. “Nanaba and Gerger are inside already. We can rest easy; Nana can charm anyone into giving up a table if there aren’t any.”

 

Hanji turned to go inside, but Levi reached out and tugged on the back of her shirt to stop her.

 

“Wait,” he said. “I want to talk to you first.”

 

Hanji stepped away from the door and they walked around the corner to get out of other people’s way. Her nerves began to quiver again, and she waited for Levi to speak with bated breath.

 

“When you took up ballroom, you wanted to be the lead and not the follow. Why?” he asked, his eyes staring into her own without flinching.

 

Hanji blinked a few times at the unexpected question. Her feelings about that first encounter with Levi came flooding back, and she felt her face grow hot. She averted her eyes, and scrambled to get her thoughts in order.

 

“When I saw you dancing with Eren, I was stunned,” she said slowly. “I’ve never seen a man move like you did, for one thing. But there was also so much trust and intimacy there. And also, you’re hot.”

 

Levi received her answer with his own look of surprise.

 

“But I’m not someone who can just watch, y’know?” Hanji said with a chuckle at herself. “I wanted to try it. I wanted to...I wanted to see if I could do that. To make a guy look like that in my arms, to have him trust that much in me. And again, also because it was hot. I knew it wasn’t likely that it’d happen, since I was a woman and leading was a man’s role.”

 

She felt embarrassed for saying her deepest thoughts out loud to the man who inspired them and she was pretty sure her face gave it away, but Levi just continued to stare at her with pink cheeks of his own.

 

“Was I really that great?” he asked, a hint of disbelief mixed in. “I wasn’t even dressed up that day.”

 

Hanji laughed, relief settling into her heart at his easy acceptance of her feelings. “Oh Levi, if you only knew,” she said, grinning. “I don’t know about anyone else that was watching, but to me, you were the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.”

 

She meant it, and he knew it, for the pink spread further across his face than she had ever seen before, and he finally couldn’t meet her eyes. Hanji stepped closer to him and took his hand, wiggling her fingers in between his. He didn’t look up at her, but he gently closed his fingers around her own. Hanij giggled and playfully bumped her forehead against his.

 

“One more question,” Levi said, finally looking up at her. “Would you like to be my dance partner? My regular partner, I mean, not just for tonight.”

 

Hanji’s face lit up and she gave an excited hop. “ ** _Yes!_** ” she shouted, and enveloped Levi into a fierce hug. She let him go and said, “C’mon, then. Let’s go dance!”

 

Levi gave her a smile, small and still a little shy in his embarrassment, and let Hanji pull him into the club.

 

\-----------------------------------

 

Inside, Hanji and Levi made a beeline for the dance area, though Hanji made sure to wave at her friends after spotting them at a table. There were quite a few people on the dancefloor, but as long as Hanji and Levi didn’t do any New Yorks or other wide maneuvers, they would be fine. The music was loud, of course, and a bouncy pop song kept the energy level of the dancers high. Lighting consisted of some pulsing lights that weren’t too bright or annoying, so that the environment was dim but not unsafe.

 

Hanij and Levi made it to a good-sized clearing.

 

“You _can_ ballroom to pop, right?” Hanji nearly yelled to Levi, thinking back on seeing Eren dance to Pitbull.

 

It wasn’t like it was a competition, so Levi didn’t bother explaining BPM requirements for specific dances and instead just said “duh” with his face the best he could. Hanji just grinned and got into a frame position with him.

 

There was no hesitation in Levi deferring the lead role to Hanji. Her heart thumped as their hands joined, and Levi found that once he made eye contact with her, he couldn’t look away. They captivated him for some reason, and he wasn’t sure he cared about ever finding out why. When Hanji cleaned up, she cleaned up nicely, and he felt flattered knowing that she made that effort for him.

 

At first, they just moved around in a simple box step. The atmosphere of the club, the music, and the dancefloor were new to both of them, for Levi had only been to social dances at clubs and had never done anything as impromptu as what they were doing now.

 

The song transitioned into another peppy song. Levi taunted Hanji with a sly smirk, daring her to snap into action. So she did.

 

Hanji turned their little box step into a rumba, and Levi followed her without missing a beat. The steps were just basic movements, for that was all Hanji knew, but as Hanji moved around him, Levi suddenly acted from muscle memory, and he found himself leaning back into Hanji’s hand as he bent a knee and lifted his leg into the air with a couple of partial extensions.

 

 _‘That was from the rumba demo with Eren,’_ Levi thought, lowering his leg and letting Hanji spin him around. When he made eye contact with her, she was laughing, but her eyes were in that intense, focused look. Levi’s heart rate jumped at the challenge.

 

They returned to another basic movement, but Levi altered his footwork, and instead turned it into cha cha. Hanji pouted, but immediately synched with him, and even moved her hips in the correct, exaggerated motions.

 

 _‘Ok, Levi, cha cha it is,’_ Hanji chuckled to herself.

 

She let go of Levi’s hands and circled around him, hands on his hips, and Levi popped into the starting posture for the cha cha routine that he taught her. They came together and they stepped in time with the song for a bit. Levi noted with the approval of a teacher that Hanji never failed to move her hips. There was a little more room around them, so they even did the spot turns, and Hanji didn’t miss those either.

 

 _‘She can dance,’_ Levi thought, again making eye contact with her. _‘Not bad.’_

 

Hanji felt exhilarated. _‘I can keep pace with the music,’_ she thought, caught up in Levi’s eyes. _‘Geez, his eyes are so pretty. Levi, if you only **knew**.’_

 

The song ended, and transitioned into a slower, repeating melody with guitar strumming. Levi suddenly left the dancefloor, but before Hanji could follow him, she saw that he was just taking off his jacket to put it with her friends, who still sat at the table. Under that jacket was a tank top that had a mesh back, and when he came back, she saw that it was also partially mesh on the front.

 

All smiles, Hanji welcomed him back with open hands just as the song swung into gear. A look of recognition passed between Hanji and Levi. It was “Hey Brother” by Avicii, thought a different mix from the radio’s version. Levi knew it because he heard Eren blasting it in his ear buds for a solid hour while cleaning once. Hanji knew it because they guys at Sergio’s liked to sing along with Spanish lyrics.

 

Hanji started with a slower rumba, but Levi got an idea, and he motioned for her to stop and tilt her head down. “Let’s see what else you remember,” he said into her ear.

 

Hanji’s eyes lit up, and he smirked. Before they started moving again, Levi changed their positions into a closer, more intimate stance so that their heads were nearly touching. When she leaned to the side to test the new posture, he lifted a leg to the same side over the other leg, then brought it back and kicked out behind him a bit. She stepped to the other side, and he followed with a similar leg motion that wrapped around her own leg and kicked out again.

 

 _‘The tango from that day,’_ Hanji realized, breath leaving her lungs.

 

Levi smirked, able to see her make the connection on her face. “Skip the hard stuff,” he said, as Hanji began stepping around in what patterns she could remember. “No lifts, and if you don’t remember, do a rumba basic, I’ll make up for it.”

 

That was all Hanji needed. She knew her memory, while good, wasn’t perfect, but she was dancing with _Levi_. She had total trust in him, and she danced without hesitation.

 

Levi was impressed again. While Hanji didn’t know the right footwork for this specific routine, she knew enough ballroom in general to improvise and to support Levi’s body when necessary. Soon, they were dancing the the modified routine with confidence, and never noticed that they became pressed against each other.

 

Hanji’s bare arms were searing hot against his own, but he loved it. Hanji’s  hand on his back was entangled in the mesh folds, and she could feel his skin through the gaps like he was teasing her. All the while, they maintained eye contact, with the music’s vibrations echoing through their connected bodies.

 

They stepped forward, backward, and forward again. As instructed, Hanji skipped over the lifts, but she remembered a certain move from the original routine, and when they got to it, instead of skipping it, she leaned back. With one hand still holding Levi’s, she held out the other in a silent request.

 

For Levi, it was the moment of truth, or rather, trust. He knew immediately what move came next, and while it was doable since it depended on the follow more than the lead, it would fail without trust.

 

 _‘I made my decision before I even got here,’_ Levi thought, and as soon as the thought appeared, he planted a foot against one of Hanji’s and placed his other in her offered hand. She then assisted him in pushing the foot up so that Levi was raising it almost straight up in the air with his free hand gripping the pant leg and his other still held tight by Hanji.

 

He could feel his muscles screaming, since he hadn’t warmed up for such intense stretching, but as Hanji slowly lowered him -- and thankfully nowhere near as low as the original move -- she remained steady, and raised him back up with no problem. When they reconnected their body contact, both dancers were breathing a little faster, and Hanji could see that Levi’s face was a bit flushed from excitement.

 

Hanji herself was beyond thinking. It was the clearest sign that Levi trusted her, and after that, her mind was no longer thinking in fully formed thoughts. She moved on instinct now, and through the pulse of the music.

 

The song was close to ending, so they skipped the other lifts. The pace picked up, and they continued the back-and-forth walking motions of the modified tango. They spun around and around, no longer wary of anyone who might be around them.

 

 _‘This is it,’_ Hanji’s brain finally spoke up. Her forehead was now pressed against Levi’s, and they were so hot that a thin layer of condensation formed and disappeared repeatedly on the bottom of the lenses in her glasses. _‘This is it for me. I love this man. I’m gone, I’m so gone, Levi.’_

 

Levi wanted to kiss her, but he didn’t want to stop dancing. He felt free, and a joy that he hadn’t felt in so long that he felt like something inside was going to burst. He had never felt so accepted by someone; there were questions, but never pressure, never any demanding, and when answers were given there wasn’t any judging, no expectations on him to change. He didn’t want the dance to end because her presence was what was keeping him anchored in place, and with a flutter, he remembered it wasn’t going to end, because Hanji was now his dance partner.

 

As the song drew to a close, the tango routine at that point was all moves Hanji couldn’t yet perform, so without either of them needing to say when, they switched to the cha cha routine from before. When the final, strumming melody came to an end, Hanji dipped Levi backwards, and when she both felt and watched his back arch forward like he did in that tango performance, her emotions swirled around in a raging storm. Unable to hold back, she leaned down and kissed Levi.

 

There was heat. There was the feeling of Hanji’s arms under Levi’s back, the feeling of one of his arms around around her neck, and white noise. Their eyes opened as Hanji separated their lips, and Levi couldn’t look away because Hanji’s face was so close and framed by her hair in such a way that he had no other word to describe it but “beautiful.”

 

The white noise suddenly became the crystal-clear sound of applause, and Hanji let Levi stand up. As they quickly remembered where they were, the people around them continued to clap.

 

“Take a bow,” Levi told Hanji, recovering quickly. “Apparently, we don’t suck.”

 

Hanji tilted her head up and laughed loudly. They bowed sloppily, with Levi refusing to acknowledge the jello feeling his legs and that he had been almost literally swept off his feet by Hanji.

 

“What is this, some kinda teen romance movie?” he griped as he and Hanji made their way to Hanji’s friends.

 

“What, like those _Step Up_ movies?” Hanji teased, snaking a hand around his waist. She felt like she had smelled too many fumes, but all she could smell was the clean scent from Levi’s hair.

 

“Don’t you _ever_ mention those to me again,” Levi growled, but there was no bite to his words and he leaned into Hanji’s side.

 

“Careful, Levi,” she giggled. “People might think we’re dating!”

 

His response was a light slap to her hip, but he didn’t remove his hand. Both the banter and the touch felt natural to them, with no pressure or expectations, only trust. They were together, dancing, breathing, and existing.

  
  


\-----------------------------------

  


Epilogue

  


\-----------------------------------

  


Erwin sat down on the black, folding chair and sighed when his butt made contact with a hard, unforgiving surface.

 

 _‘The things I do for my friends,’_  he thought, shifting in his seat. But in reality, he didn’t care that by the time the three-hour long competition was over his butt would be numb, because it was Levi and Hanji’s debut as partners in dancesport, and seeing Levi compete again was worth losing the feeling in his cheeks.

 

“Erwin! It’s been a while!” A bald, older gentleman approached Erwin and sat in the empty seat next to him. Following him was a young woman with short brown hair, and she silently stood behind him.

 

“Pixis, good to see you, and Anka too,” Erwin said, shaking hands with the man. “Didn’t think you’d come all the way out here to a small, bronze syllabus.”

 

“I heard Levi finally came out of hiding,” Pixis said, raising an eyebrow. “Also, I am pretty sure the invitation I received in my email was addressed by you.”

 

Erwin smiled, and they fell silent as the competition began. The announcers droned on through the opening proceedings, and after Erwin finally jimmied his butt into what he hoped was a long-lasting, comfortable position, the dancers were finally introduced. The couples walked in from another room out of view as their number and names were called.

 

“What’s Levi’s number?” Pixis asked.

 

“Couple number 18,” Erwin replied. He didn’t let on, but he was excited. Levi had been quite secretive about the competition, which was strange because it was just a bronze syllabus. There was a specific set of dance moves to follow, so there couldn’t be any theatrics.

 

 _‘And he also said he didn’t expect them to win,’_ Erwin thought, as couple number 12 came out onto the dancefloor. _‘Levi doesn’t just dance to lose. What’s he got planned?’_

 

Couple number 17 made it out onto the dance floor, and then he heard, “Couple number 18, Levi and Hanji.”

 

Out came Levi, and out came Hanji, and Erwin clamped a hand over his mouth with enough force to startle Anka behind Pixis.

 

Hanji looked normal enough; she wore a suit, but it wasn’t strange to Erwin when he considered the woman wearing it. Her hair was pinned up around her head, probably in braids, but it was hard to tell from where Erwin sat. Levi, on the other hand, looked something that Erwin could only call “stunning.”

 

He wore a bright red dress, which was form-fitting until it reached the skirt, which then fluffed out and nearly reached the floor. It had sleeves, but as Levi walked out and around the dancefloor with Hanji, Erwin could see that the back of it was tied up, with large patches of skin showing. And as Levi walked, it was clear that he was wearing matching red heels a good inch off the ground.

 

Erwin had wondered how Levi suddenly gained some height on Hanji.

 

“Well!” Pixis finally said, eyes wide at the sight. All around them, the other spectators were whispering furiously to themselves, making a dull roar. “This is certainly worth coming to see!”

 

Erwin just continued to laugh in his hand. On the dancefloor, Hanji and Levi took their positions, with Hanji as the lead and Levi the follow. There wasn’t any suggestion at all of doubt or hesitancy on their faces; only confidence and focus, and when the music started, they backed it up with technical skill that impressed Erwin since Hanji had only started dancing a few months ago. The audience continued to mutter, and Erwin knew there would be several videos hitting Youtube that night, if they weren’t being uploaded now.

 

On the dancefloor, the dancers twirled to a halt as the music ended, with Hanji dipping Levi as a final move. As Erwin stood to clap as loud as his hands would allow, he nearly burst out laughing again, for it looked like Hanji’s little dip was unplanned, and Levi had to adjust the dress quickly before the skirt slid down.

 

 _‘What a pair they make,_ ’ Erwin thought fondly. _‘Ballroom dancing isn’t going to be the same after tonight._ ’

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dang. You saw that right dudes. That's the last chapter. I apologize for sneaking it up on you like that, but I needed to see how you guys react to it, as a way of seeing how well I did on getting here. <3
> 
> Uh, so it's close to 3am right now [lol omg you should see the chatter going on between me and my AWESOME EDITOR [Lenoir](http://archiveofourown.org/users/LenoirWhittlethorn/pseuds/LenoirWhittlethorn/) as we did this chapter]. So, I'm gonna keep this short.
> 
> Thank you, to all of you. I never expected this to grow so huge [or be so GOSH DARNED LONG]. I'm so grateful, and your comments, views, reblogs, tags, messages, they all make me so happy, man. I'd do it all over again.
> 
> In fact, I kinda will. Because c'mon, I've been dropping hints the size of boulders about other pairings and backstories, could I _really_ just leave it like this? Nahhhh.
> 
> So there will be more Allowance 'verse stories! Other pairings, and some that will kinda delve into some backstories that didn't get mentioned (here's lookin' at u Levi). I'm also doing that mermaid AU I keep mentioning on Tumblr so there's that soul-sucking project to look forward too. God be with me on that one.
> 
> Reminder: I've got a special Allowance print for sale on [Etsy](https://www.etsy.com/shop/PinStripesStudios). You guys are also welcome to scream and cry at me for ending this over on [Tumblr.](http://glitchikinnsblog.tumblr.com/) Also, there are a billion errors in this whole fic, so I'll be going back sometime soon and cleaning them up. A huge thanks to Julystorms too, who has been awesome and I'm so glad I met her. <3 Um, so yeah, 3am, here it is.


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